Rocky Nelson
| Rocky Nelson | |||
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| First baseman | |||
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Born: November 18, 1924 Portsmouth, Ohio |
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Died: October 31, 2006 (aged 81) Portsmouth, Ohio |
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| MLB debut | |||
| April 27, 1949, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 29, 1961, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .249 | ||
| Home runs | 31 | ||
| Runs batted in | 173 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Glenn Richard "Rocky" Nelson (November 18, 1924 – October 31, 2006) was a first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals (1949–51 and 1956), Pittsburgh Pirates (1951 and 1959–61), Chicago White Sox (1951), Brooklyn Dodgers (1952 and 1956) and Cleveland Indians (1954).
A native of Portsmouth, Ohio, Nelson batted and threw left-handed. Despite pre-1959 stints with five major league clubs, Nelson failed to stick with a major league team for half a season. Reggie Otero, manager of the Havana Sugar Kings, saw Nelson clobber major league pitchers while playing winter baseball in Cuba. It was Otero's view that Nelson needed a major league manager that would show patience toward him.
He was regarded as one of the best sluggers to ever play in the International League. As a rookie in 1948, he helped the Rochester Red Wings qualify for the Governors' Cup playoffs. From 1953 to 1955, while playing for the Montreal Royals, Nelson led the International League once in batting average (1955), twice in home runs (1954, 1955), and twice in RBIs (1953 and 1955). He would win his first Triple Crown in 1955 and was the International League Most Valuable Player Award winner in 1953 and 1955. His performances were a topic of conversation among many managers of the time. They were baffled as to how to pitch to him, and even more mystified that he was still playing in the minor leagues.
Although Nelson finally caught on in the majors, he had to endure two more failed tryouts with the Dodgers and the Cardinals, plus one more stint in the International League. In 1957, he would sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs, whose owner, Jack Kent Cooke boasted that "…whatever is worth buying in the pitching or power line will find its way to Toronto." In 1958, Nelson was voted International League most valuable player after winning the triple crown, leading the league in batting average (.326), home runs (43) and RBIs (120) while playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was later inducted into the International League Hall of Fame and into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987.
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