What years did Dave Nelson play?

Dave Nelson played in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1977.

Was Dave Nelson a pitcher?

No. Dave Nelson was a position player (Second Baseman).

How many home runs did Dave Nelson hit?

Dave Nelson hit 20 career home runs with 630 hits.

What teams did Dave Nelson play for?

Dave Nelson played for 3 teams: the Cleveland Indians (1968–1969), the Texas Rangers (1970–1975), and the Kansas City Royals (1976–1977).

Did Dave Nelson win an MVP award?

No. Dave Nelson did not win the MVP award.

What awards did Dave Nelson win?

Dave Nelson was selected to 1 All-Star Game.

What were Dave Nelson's career stats?

In 813 games, Dave Nelson had 630 hits, 20 home runs, 211 RBI, 340 runs, and 187 stolen bases, with a .244 batting average.

What position did Dave Nelson play?

Dave Nelson played primarily as a second baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Dave Nelson and how much did he weigh?

Dave Nelson was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 160 pounds.

How many home runs did Dave Nelson hit each season?

Dave Nelson's home runs by season: 0 in 1968, 0 in 1969, 0 in 1970, 5 in 1971, 2 in 1972, 7 in 1973, 3 in 1974, 2 in 1975, 1 in 1976, and 0 in 1977. His most in one season was 7, in 1973.

What was Dave Nelson's career batting average?

Dave Nelson batted .244 over his career, with 630 hits in 2,578 at bats.

How many RBI did Dave Nelson have?

Dave Nelson drove in 211 runs in his career.

Is Dave Nelson in the Hall of Fame?

No. Dave Nelson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

How many All-Star Games did Dave Nelson make?

Dave Nelson was selected to 1 All-Star Game.

Dave Nelson

Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1968-1977)

Dave Nelson was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1977 for 4 teams, including the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 10 seasons. In 813 career games, he hit .244 with 630 hits, 20 home runs, and 211 RBI. Dave Nelson was an All-Star.

AVG (Batting Average):: Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):: Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):: Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):: On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated October 17, 2026

AVG .244

HR 20

RBI 211

H 630

OPS .618

PIV -3,719

Position: Second Baseman
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 5'10" / 160 lb
Born: 6/20/1944 in Fort Sill, OK, USA
Died: 4/23/2018 in Milwaukee, WI, USA
MLB Debut: 1968-04-11
Last Game: 1977-09-27
Awards: All-Star

Full name: David Earl Nelson

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Career Batting Statistics

Dave Nelson — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
813	2,578	340	630	77	19	20	211	187	220	392	.244	.305	.312	.618	-3,719

Career AVG .244 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .305 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .312 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — 15.8% below league average.

Career OPS .618 vs. league average .691 across their career seasons — 10.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Dave Nelson Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1968	CLE	AL	88	189	26	44	4	5	0	19	23	17	35	.233	.236 (-2%)	.298 (-1%)	.340 (-10%)	.638 (-6%)	-170.9
1969	CLE	AL	52	123	11	25	0	0	0	6	4	9	26	.203	.248 (-18%)	.320 (-19%)	.369 (-45%)	.689 (-33%)	-609.9
1970	WS2	AL	47	107	5	17	1	0	0	4	2	7	24	.159	.253 (-37%)	.325 (-36%)	.385 (-56%)	.711 (-47%)	-807.9
1971	WS2	AL	85	329	47	92	11	3	5	33	17	23	29	.280	.249 (+12%)	.316 (+3%)	.365 (+3%)	.682 (+3%)	169.0
1972	TEX	AL	145	499	68	113	16	3	2	28	51	67	81	.226	.243 (-7%)	.310 (+4%)	.353 (-20%)	.664 (-9%)	-422.2
1973	TEX	AL	142	576	71	165	24	4	7	48	43	34	78	.286	.256 (+11%)	.325 (avg)	.378 (avg)	.703 (avg)	-82.8
1974	TEX	AL	121	474	71	112	13	1	3	42	25	34	72	.236	.256 (-8%)	.324 (-10%)	.369 (-22%)	.693 (-17%)	-1188.5
1975	TEX	AL	28	80	9	17	1	0	2	10	6	8	10	.212	.257 (-17%)	.327 (-12%)	.374 (-20%)	.701 (-16%)	-194.3
1976	KCA	AL	78	153	24	36	4	2	1	17	15	14	26	.235	.255 (-8%)	.320 (-7%)	.360 (-15%)	.681 (-11%)	-258.7
1977	KCA	AL	27	48	8	9	3	1	0	4	1	7	11	.188	—	—	—	—	-152.8
Career · 10 seasons			813	2,578	340	630	77	19	20	211	187	220	392	.244	—	—	—	—	-3,719

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Dave Nelson — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Dave Nelson — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1976	ALCS	KCA	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (813 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Dave Nelson — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	413	1291	175	310	8	98	.240
Away	400	1287	165	320	12	113	.249

Last 10 Games — Batting

Dave Nelson — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	R	H	2B	BB	SO
1977-09-27	KCR	OAK	L	4	0	1	1	0	0
1977-09-26	KCR	OAK	L	0	0	0	0	0	0
1977-09-25	KCR	LAA	W	2	0	0	0	1	1
1977-09-24	KCR	LAA	W	3	0	0	0	2	1
1977-09-15	KCR	OAK	W	0	0	0	0	0	0
1977-07-05	KCR	TEX	W	0	0	0	0	0	0
1977-07-03	KCR	CLE	L	2	0	0	0	0	0
1977-06-29	KCR	LAA	L	1	0	0	0	0	1
1977-06-28	KCR	LAA	W	0	1	0	0	0	0
1977-06-26	KCR	OAK	L	3	0	0	0	0	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Dave Nelson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	3	0	9	2	0	3
2B	466	411	1016	1151	53	278
3B	203	193	170	371	33	40
OF	17	16	25	0	3	0
SS	14	1	9	13	1	1

Season-by-Season Fielding

Dave Nelson — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1968	CLE	2B	59	53	115	114	3	26
1968	CLE	SS	14	1	9	13	1	1
1969	CLE	2B	33	30	78	94	6	28
1969	CLE	OF	2	0	1	0	0	0
1970	WS2	2B	33	21	64	79	2	19
1971	WS2	2B	1	0	0	1	0	0
1971	WS2	3B	84	80	63	149	14	15
1972	TEX	3B	119	113	107	222	19	25
1972	TEX	OF	15	16	24	0	3	0
1973	TEX	2B	140	137	327	364	11	98
1974	TEX	2B	120	119	295	337	20	74
1975	TEX	2B	23	20	56	60	5	16
1976	KCA	1B	3	0	9	2	0	3
1976	KCA	2B	46	26	70	88	4	14
1977	KCA	2B	11	5	11	14	2	3

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Dave Nelson Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
First Base	2
Second Base	467
Third Base	202
Shortstop	14
Left Field	8
Center Field	10
Right Field	1
Designated Hitter	32

Award Voting History

Dave Nelson — Award Voting History
Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max	Votes First
1973	Most Valuable Player	AL	33th	2.0	336	0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Dave Nelson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Dave Nelson: the record in brief

Dave Nelson played a first major league game on April 11, 1968 and a last one on September 27, 1977. The team column moves through the Cleveland Indians (1968 to 1969), the Washington Senators (1970 through 1971), the Texas Rangers (1972 to 1975), and the Kansas City Royals (1976 to 1977). Nelson, born on June 20, 1944, in Fort Sill, OK, USA, is listed as a second baseman and batted and threw right-handed. Size on record: 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds. The bio records the death on April 23, 2018, in Milwaukee, WI, USA. The given name on file is David Earl Nelson.

Nelson's career batting table shows 813 games, 2,578 at bats and 630 hits, a .244 average; the totals also include 20 home runs, 211 RBI, and 187 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .305 and the slugging percentage .312, for an OPS of .618. Against a .253 league average for those years, Nelson's .244 average was near the norm. The OPS comparison is .618 to a league .691, 10.6% below average. Nelson collected a career-high 165 hits in 1973.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dave Nelson

What years did Dave Nelson play?: Dave Nelson played in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1977.
Was Dave Nelson a pitcher?: No. Dave Nelson was a position player (Second Baseman).
How many home runs did Dave Nelson hit?: Dave Nelson hit 20 career home runs with 630 hits.
What teams did Dave Nelson play for?: Dave Nelson played for 3 teams: the Cleveland Indians (1968–1969), the Texas Rangers (1970–1975), and the Kansas City Royals (1976–1977).
Did Dave Nelson win an MVP award?: No. Dave Nelson did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Dave Nelson win?: Dave Nelson was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
What were Dave Nelson's career stats?: In 813 games, Dave Nelson had 630 hits, 20 home runs, 211 RBI, 340 runs, and 187 stolen bases, with a .244 batting average.
What position did Dave Nelson play?: Dave Nelson played primarily as a second baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Dave Nelson and how much did he weigh?: Dave Nelson was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 160 pounds.
How many home runs did Dave Nelson hit each season?: Dave Nelson's home runs by season: 0 in 1968, 0 in 1969, 0 in 1970, 5 in 1971, 2 in 1972, 7 in 1973, 3 in 1974, 2 in 1975, 1 in 1976, and 0 in 1977. His most in one season was 7, in 1973.
What was Dave Nelson's career batting average?: Dave Nelson batted .244 over his career, with 630 hits in 2,578 at bats.
How many RBI did Dave Nelson have?: Dave Nelson drove in 211 runs in his career.
Is Dave Nelson in the Hall of Fame?: No. Dave Nelson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Dave Nelson make?: Dave Nelson was selected to 1 All-Star Game.