Brad Nelson
Encyclopedia
Bradley John Nelson is a Minor League Baseball
player who is currently in the Texas Rangers
organization. He has played primarily first base
and outfield
. When he is not playing defensively he also serves as a designated hitter
.
baseball
at Bishop Garrigan High School
in Algona, Iowa
. He was a pitcher
and utility infielder
. He started varsity halfway through his eighth grade summer and led the team to the state championship game as a sophomore. The team he played on that season continues to hold the state records for most runs
(523), home run
s (90), and RBIs
(461) in a season; Nelson himself holds the state records for most hits
(83) and most RBIs (91) in a season.
in the fourth round of the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft
.
Nelson has played professionally for the Rookie Level Arizona League Brewers and Ogden Raptors
, the Single-A Beloit Snappers
and High Desert Mavericks
, the Double-A Huntsville Stars
, and the Triple-A Nashville Sounds
. He was part of the Sounds team that won the Pacific Coast League
championship.
He was selected to play in the Midwest League
All-Star game in Lansing
, Michigan
, and the Southern League
All-Star game in Chattanooga, Tennessee
. In both all-star appearances, he won the home run derby that was part of the All-Star festivities. He was also named the Milwaukee Brewers' 2002 Minor League Player of the Year, after leading all minor leaguers with 116 RBIs and 49 doubles
at the age of 19.
In addition to his positive career statistics, Nelson also holds the Pacific Coast League record for most strikeout
s in a single game, with seven strike-outs in 11 plate appearances in a 24-inning game (the longest game in PCL history) in which the Nashville Sounds played against the New Orleans Zephyrs
on May 5 and 6, .
For the season, he played with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds
, but was called up to the Brewers on September 1; he made his major league debut that afternoon. On September 2, Nelson collected his first major league hit, a pinch-hit
double
in the 10th inning against Luis Ayala
of the New York Mets
. After a successful 2009 spring training
, the Brewers kept Nelson on the 25-man roster to start the following year. However, after going hitless in 21 at-bats primarily as a pinch hitter to start the season, Nelson was outrighted to AAA, and replaced with infielder Mat Gamel
, on May 14. Rather than report back to the Brewers' minor league system, Nelson opted for free agency
the next day.
, Nelson signed another minor-league deal with the Mariners on January 14, 2010, and was again invited to spring training with the club. Like in Milwaukee, a crowded first base caused the Mariners to cut Nelson on March 13, 2010, and send him to their minor league camp. He spent the entire 2010 season in Tacoma, and became a free agent on November 6, 2010.
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
player who is currently in the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
organization. He has played primarily first base
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
and outfield
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
. When he is not playing defensively he also serves as a designated hitter
Designated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
.
High school
Nelson played high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
at Bishop Garrigan High School
Bishop Garrigan High School
Bishop Garrigan High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Algona, Iowa. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux City.-Background:...
in Algona, Iowa
Algona, Iowa
Algona is a city in and the county seat of Kossuth County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,741 at the 2000 census. Ambrose A. Call State Park is located two miles southwest of the city.-History:...
. He was a pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
and utility infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
. He started varsity halfway through his eighth grade summer and led the team to the state championship game as a sophomore. The team he played on that season continues to hold the state records for most runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
(523), home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s (90), and RBIs
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
(461) in a season; Nelson himself holds the state records for most hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
(83) and most RBIs (91) in a season.
Milwaukee Brewers
He was drafted by the Milwaukee BrewersMilwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
in the fourth round of the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft
2001 Major League Baseball Draft
-First Round Selections:-Supplemental First Round Selections:-Background:The Minnesota Twins selected St. Paul, MN native Joe Mauer with the number one pick in the 2001 draft. The 18-year-old Mauer, a catcher from Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, became the seventh Minnesotan to be...
.
Nelson has played professionally for the Rookie Level Arizona League Brewers and Ogden Raptors
Ogden Raptors
The Ogden Raptors are a minor league baseball team in the Pioneer League based in Ogden, Utah, United States. The club plays at Lindquist Field, whose view beyond the outfield fence was named the best in professional baseball by a staff writer for Grand Slam Enterprises, INC.The Raptors are one of...
, the Single-A Beloit Snappers
Beloit Snappers
The Beloit Snappers are a Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Minnesota Twins, that plays in the Midwest League.Beloit joined the Midwest League as an expansion franchise in 1982. They were a Milwaukee Brewers farm team from its beginning through 2004; they switched to the...
and High Desert Mavericks
High Desert Mavericks
The High Desert Mavericks are a minor league baseball team in Adelanto, California, USA. Their Major League parent club is the Seattle Mariners. They are a Class A - Advanced team in the California League and had been a farm team of the Kansas City Royals since 2005 before the switch...
, the Double-A Huntsville Stars
Huntsville Stars
The Huntsville Stars are a minor league baseball team of the Southern League and are the Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Huntsville, Alabama and are named for the space industry with which Huntsville is economically tied .The Stars play their home games at Joe W...
, and the Triple-A Nashville Sounds
Nashville Sounds
The Nashville Sounds are a minor league baseball team of the Pacific Coast League , and the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the city's association with the music industry...
. He was part of the Sounds team that won the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
championship.
He was selected to play in the Midwest League
Midwest League
The Midwest League is a Class-A minor league baseball league which operates in the Midwestern United States.-History:Six teams – the Belleville Stags, the Centralia Cubs, the Marion Indians, the Mattoon Indians or East Frankfort White Sox, the Mount Vernon Braves, and the West Frankfort...
All-Star game in Lansing
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, and the Southern League
Southern League (baseball)
The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , and shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams...
All-Star game in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. In both all-star appearances, he won the home run derby that was part of the All-Star festivities. He was also named the Milwaukee Brewers' 2002 Minor League Player of the Year, after leading all minor leaguers with 116 RBIs and 49 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
at the age of 19.
In addition to his positive career statistics, Nelson also holds the Pacific Coast League record for most strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s in a single game, with seven strike-outs in 11 plate appearances in a 24-inning game (the longest game in PCL history) in which the Nashville Sounds played against the New Orleans Zephyrs
New Orleans Zephyrs
The New Orleans Zephyrs are a minor league baseball team based in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. The Zephyrs play in the Pacific Coast League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. The Zephyrs play their home games at Zephyr Field....
on May 5 and 6, .
For the season, he played with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds
Nashville Sounds
The Nashville Sounds are a minor league baseball team of the Pacific Coast League , and the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the city's association with the music industry...
, but was called up to the Brewers on September 1; he made his major league debut that afternoon. On September 2, Nelson collected his first major league hit, a pinch-hit
Pinch hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...
double
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
in the 10th inning against Luis Ayala
Luis Ayala
Luis Ignacio Ayala is a Major League Baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He is 6' 2" and weighs 190 lbs. and bats and throws right-handed.-Mexican League:...
of the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
. After a successful 2009 spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
, the Brewers kept Nelson on the 25-man roster to start the following year. However, after going hitless in 21 at-bats primarily as a pinch hitter to start the season, Nelson was outrighted to AAA, and replaced with infielder Mat Gamel
Mat Gamel
Mathew Lawrence Gamel is a Major League Baseball third baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers.-Early life:Gamel attended Bishop Kenny High School in Jacksonville, Florida...
, on May 14. Rather than report back to the Brewers' minor league system, Nelson opted for free agency
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
the next day.
Seattle Mariners
After spending eight years in the Brewers organization, with 28 games at the major league level, Nelson signed a minor-league contract with the Seattle Mariners on May 19, 2009. After spending the rest of 2009 with the Mariners' top farm club, the Tacoma RainiersTacoma Rainiers
The Tacoma Rainiers are a minor league baseball team that plays in the Pacific Coast League , and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners...
, Nelson signed another minor-league deal with the Mariners on January 14, 2010, and was again invited to spring training with the club. Like in Milwaukee, a crowded first base caused the Mariners to cut Nelson on March 13, 2010, and send him to their minor league camp. He spent the entire 2010 season in Tacoma, and became a free agent on November 6, 2010.