Jim Nelson
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1970-1971)
Jim Nelson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1971 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 2 seasons. Across 32 career appearances, he went 6-4 with a 3.06 ERA and 53 strikeouts.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 180 lb
- Died
- 8/22/2004 in Sacramento, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1970-05-30
- Last Game
- 1971-07-15
Full name: James Lorin Nelson
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | PIT | NL | 4 | 2 | 15 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 68.1 | 64 | 26 | 38 | 42 | 3.42 | 3.89 (+12%) | -468.9 |
| 1971 | PIT | NL | 2 | 2 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34.2 | 27 | 9 | 26 | 11 | 2.34 | 3.47 (+33%) | -893.1 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 6 | 4 | 32 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 103.0 | 91 | 35 | 64 | 53 | 3.06 | — | -1,362 | ||
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.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | 26 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | .269 | .333 | .269 | .603 | 0 |
Career AVG .269 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — +7.0% above league average.
Career OBP .333 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .269 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — 28.3% below league average.
Career OPS .603 vs. league average .697 across their career seasons — 13.5% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | PIT | NL | 15 | 20 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1971 | PIT | NL | 17 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .500 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 32 | 26 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | .269 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (64 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 19 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | .333 |
| Away | 13 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | .214 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 19 | 59.0 | 45 | 14 | 36 | 29 | 2.14 |
| Away | 13 | 44.0 | 46 | 21 | 28 | 24 | 4.30 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-07-15 | PIT | SDP | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-07-01 | PIT | NYN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-06-27 | PIT | PHI | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1971-06-27 | PIT | PHI | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-06-22 | PIT | NYN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-06-14 | PIT | HOU | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-06-08 | PIT | CHC | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1971-06-02 | PIT | STL | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-05-29 | PIT | CHC | W | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1971-05-28 | PIT | CHC | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-07-15 | PIT | SDP | W | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-07-01 | PIT | NYN | — | 0.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-06-27 | PIT | PHI | — | 3.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1971-06-27 | PIT | PHI | — | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-06-22 | PIT | NYN | L | 2.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-06-14 | PIT | HOU | L | 0.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1971-06-08 | PIT | CHC | — | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-06-02 | PIT | STL | — | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-05-29 | PIT | CHC | — | 3.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1971-05-28 | PIT | CHC | — | 1.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 32 |
Jim Nelson: the record in brief
According to the bio, Jim Nelson debuted on May 30, 1970 and played a final game on July 15, 1971. The team column never changes: it is the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1970 to 1971. Nelson played primarily as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on July 4, 1947, in Birmingham, AL, USA and a listed size of 6-foot-0 and 180 pounds. The bio records the death on August 22, 2004, in Sacramento, CA, USA. The given name on file is James Lorin Nelson.
Nelson went 6-4 with a 3.06 ERA in 32 games, 12 of them starts. Nelson had 53 strikeouts. The leagues Nelson pitched in allowed 3.68 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 16.8% better than average. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 3.42 in 1970, when the league's was 3.89.
Every defensive appearance on record for Nelson, 32 games, came at pitcher. On the mound, the fielding record shows 2 errors alongside 11 putouts and 7 assists.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Nelson
- What years did Jim Nelson play?
- Jim Nelson played in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1971.
- Was Jim Nelson a pitcher?
- Yes. Jim Nelson pitched in the major leagues, recording 6 wins and 53 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Jim Nelson hit?
- Jim Nelson hit 0 career home runs with 7 hits.
- What was Jim Nelson's career batting average?
- Jim Nelson batted .269 over his career, with 7 hits in 26 at bats.
- How many RBI did Jim Nelson have?
- Jim Nelson drove in 3 runs in his career.
- What was Jim Nelson's career ERA?
- Jim Nelson finished with a 3.06 career ERA, going 6-4 with 53 strikeouts.