| Joe Nelson | |
|---|---|
 Nelson with the Florida Marlins in 2008 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1974-10-25)October 25, 1974 (age 51) Alameda, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 13, 2001, for the Atlanta Braves | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 9, 2010, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 7–2 |
| Earned run average | 4.38 |
| Strikeouts | 154 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Joseph George Nelson (born October 25, 1974) is a formerMajor League Baseballrelief pitcher.
Nelson attended St. Joseph's High School in Alameda, California.[1] At St. Joseph, Nelson played basketball with NBA starJason Kidd.
After two seasons atSeminole State College from1994–-1995, he transferred to theUniversity of San Francisco. In a switch to pitching at USF, he went undefeated, recording fivesaves.
Nelson playedcollegiate summer baseball for theKenosha Kroakers of theNorthwoods League in 1995.[2]
After being selected twice by theToronto Blue Jays in the1993 and 1994amateur drafts, he was drafted by theAtlanta Braves in the fourth round of the1996. Nelson made it to the majors in2001, seeing two stints of an inning apiece in mop-up duty, where hisERA was 36.00.
Released by the Braves the following summer, he was signed by theBoston Red Sox and quickly released after four appearances forDouble-ATrenton. Nelson re-signed with the Red Sox in the spring of2004, and was promoted to the majors in June as bullpen help. After recording a scoreless inning againstTexas, he gave up 5 runs over 12⁄3 innings in his next two appearances. He was optioned back toTriple-A whenMark Malaska was activated off thedisabled list.
After spendingspring training with theNew York Mets in2005, he signed to play with theDevil Rays' Triple-A team. Despite good peripheral numbers of 61strikeouts in 46 innings and a .229 opponents'batting average, he went 0–3 with a 4.11 ERA and was released in July. Nelson then had a short 13-inning stint with theCardinals'Double-A club, allowing just four hits over that span.
He signed with theKansas City Royals organization in November. Nelson bounced betweenOmaha and the major-league club before being called up for good on July 19,2006. After Royals closerAmbiorix Burgos was demoted on August 14, Nelson threw a perfect ninth inning the following day. ManagerBuddy Bell used the 31-year-old journeyman in thecloser's role for 2006. In2007, he was hurt. At the end of the 2007 season, he was designated for assignment toTriple-AOmaha, which he refused and opted out becoming afree agent.
In December 2007, Nelson was signed by theFlorida Marlins to a minor league contract. Joe Nelson earned a victory over the Mets in his final appearance with the Marlins on September 28, 2008, becoming the last recorded winning pitcher atShea Stadium.[3] Nelson was non-tendered by the Marlins following the2008 season.[4]
On December 30, 2008, Nelson signed with the Tampa Bay Rays. In October 2009 Nelson was granted free agency.[5]
On February 1, 2010, Nelson signed a minor league contract with theBoston Red Sox. WhenJosh Beckett was placed on the disabled list on May 19, Nelson was called up to take his roster spot. He elected to become a free agent after he was designated for assignment by the Red Sox last week after opening the season with a 9.72 ERA over his first eight appearances.
On June 24, 2010, Nelson signed a minor league contract with theSeattle Mariners, but was released on July 28, 2010.
After his active career, Nelson served as a professionalscout for the Red Sox, based inWest Palm Beach, Florida. As of2014, he holds a similar position with the Seattle Mariners. In February 2017, the Chicago Cubs hired him as a scout.
· Baseball Almanac