{{short description|American baseball player (born 1974)}} {{other people|Joseph Nelson}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography| name=Joe Nelson| image=Joe Nelson.jpg| caption=Nelson with the Florida Marlins in 2008| position=Pitcher| team=| number=| bats=Right| throws=Right| birth_date={{Birth date and age|1974|10|25}}| birth_place=Alameda, California, U.S.|debutleague = MLB | debutdate=June 13| debutyear=2001| debutteam=Atlanta Braves|finalleague = MLB | finaldate=June 9| finalyear=2010| finalteam=Boston Red Sox| |statleague = MLB | stat1label=Win–loss record| stat1value=7–2| stat2label=Earned run average| stat2value=4.38| stat3label=Strikeouts| stat3value=154| teams= *Atlanta Braves ({{Baseball year|2001}}) *Boston Red Sox ({{Baseball year|2004}}) *Kansas City Royals ({{Baseball year|2006}}) *Florida Marlins ({{Baseball year|2008}}) *Tampa Bay Rays ({{Baseball year|2009}}) *Boston Red Sox ({{Baseball year|2010}}) }} 220px|thumb|Nelson in {{Mlby|2009}}, with the Tampa Bay Rays. '''Joseph George Nelson''' (born October 25, 1974) is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher.
==High school== Nelson attended St. Joseph's High School in Alameda, California.<ref>{{Cite web |last=admin |title=Joe Nelson – Society for American Baseball Research |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/joe-nelson/ |access-date=2023-12-31 |language=en-US}}</ref> At St. Joseph, Nelson played basketball with NBA star Jason Kidd.
==College== After two seasons at Seminole State College from {{Baseball year|1994}}–-{{Baseball year|1995}}, he transferred to the University of San Francisco. In a switch to pitching at USF, he went undefeated, recording five saves.
Nelson played collegiate summer baseball for the Kenosha Kroakers of the Northwoods League in 1995.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://assets.northwoodsleague.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/NWL-Alumni-in-MLB-2025.pdf |title=Northwoods League Alumni in Major League Baseball |website=northwoodsleague.com}}</ref>
==Professional career==
===Atlanta Braves=== After being selected twice by the Toronto Blue Jays in the {{Baseball year|1993}} and 1994 amateur drafts, he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the fourth round of the {{Baseball year|1996}}. Nelson made it to the majors in {{Baseball year|2001}}, seeing two stints of an inning apiece in mop-up duty, where his ERA was 36.00.
===Boston Red Sox=== Released by the Braves the following summer, he was signed by the Boston Red Sox and quickly released after four appearances for Double-A Trenton. Nelson re-signed with the Red Sox in the spring of {{Baseball year|2004}}, and was promoted to the majors in June as bullpen help. After recording a scoreless inning against Texas, he gave up 5 runs over 1<sup>2</sup>⁄<sub>3</sub> innings in his next two appearances. He was optioned back to Triple-A when Mark Malaska was activated off the disabled list.
===New York Mets/Tampa Bay Rays/St. Louis Cardinals=== After spending spring training with the New York Mets in {{Baseball year|2005}}, he signed to play with the Devil Rays' Triple-A team. Despite good peripheral numbers of 61 strikeouts 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 the Cardinals' Double-A club, allowing just four hits over that span.
===Kansas City Royals=== He signed with the Kansas City Royals organization in November. Nelson bounced between Omaha and the major-league club before being called up for good on July 19, {{Baseball year|2006}}. After Royals closer Ambiorix Burgos was demoted on August 14, Nelson threw a perfect ninth inning the following day. Manager Buddy Bell used the 31-year-old journeyman in the closer's role for 2006. In {{Baseball year|2007}}, he was hurt. At the end of the 2007 season, he was designated for assignment to Triple-A Omaha, which he refused and opted out becoming a free agent.
===Florida Marlins=== In December 2007, Nelson was signed by the Florida 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 at Shea Stadium.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/baseball/florida-marlins/story/811290.html |title=Miami Herald |website=Miami Herald |access-date=January 1, 2009 |archive-date=April 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180416013009/http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/baseball/florida-marlins/story/811290.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Nelson was non-tendered by the Marlins following the {{Baseball year|2008}} season.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://florida.marlins.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081213&content_id=3716254&vkey=news_fla&fext=.jsp&c_id=fla |title=Nelson lone Marlin not to be tendered |access-date=2008-12-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927165039/http://florida.marlins.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081213&content_id=3716254&vkey=news_fla&fext=.jsp&c_id=fla |archive-date=2011-09-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
===Second Stint with Rays=== On December 30, 2008, Nelson signed with the Tampa Bay Rays. In October 2009 Nelson was granted free agency.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081230&content_id=3730169&vkey=hotstove2008&fext=.jsp, |title=Nelson's deal with Rays official |access-date=2008-12-30 |archive-date=2012-10-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026044155/http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081230&content_id=3730169&vkey=hotstove2008&fext=.jsp, |url-status=dead }}</ref>
===Second Stint with Red Sox=== On February 1, 2010, Nelson signed a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox. When Josh 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.
===Seattle Mariners=== On June 24, 2010, Nelson signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners, but was released on July 28, 2010.
===Post-playing career=== After his active career, Nelson served as a professional scout for the Red Sox, based in West Palm Beach, Florida. As of {{baseball year|2014}}, he holds a similar position with the Seattle Mariners. In February 2017, the Chicago Cubs hired him as a scout.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} {{Baseballstats|mlb=406874|espn=4769|br=n/nelsojo01|fangraphs=108|brm=nelson003jos}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Joe}} Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:Albuquerque Isotopes players Category:21st-century American sportsmen Category:Atlanta Braves players Category:Baseball players from Alameda, California Category:Boston Red Sox players Category:Boston Red Sox scouts Category:Chicago Cubs scouts Category:Durham Bulls players Category:Eugene Emeralds players Category:Florida Marlins players Category:Greenville Braves players Category:Gulf Coast Braves players Category:Jamestown Jammers players Category:Kansas City Royals players Category:Kenosha Kroakers players Category:Major League Baseball pitchers Category:Omaha Royals players Category:Pawtucket Red Sox players Category:Portland Sea Dogs players Category:Richmond Braves players Category:San Francisco Dons baseball players Category:Seattle Mariners scouts Category:Springfield Cardinals (Missouri) players Category:Tacoma Rainiers players Category:Tampa Bay Rays players Category:Trenton Thunder players