Roger Nelson

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1967-1976)

Roger Nelson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1967 to 1976 for 4 teams, including the Chicago White Sox, a span of 10 seasons. Across 135 career appearances, he went 29-32 with a 3.06 ERA and 371 strikeouts. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 5165.1.

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

W–L 29–32
ERA 3.06
WHIP 1.11
SO 371
Pitcher PIV 5165.1
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'3" / 200 lb
Born
6/7/1944 in Altadena, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1967-09-09
Last Game
1976-09-23

Full name: Roger Eugene Nelson

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Career Pitching Statistics

Roger Nelson — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
29 32 135 77 20 7 4 636.1 516 216 44 190 371 3.06 5165.1

Career ERA 3.06 vs. league average 3.50 across their career seasons — 12.8% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Roger Nelson Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1967 CHA AL 0 1 5 0 0 0 0 7.0 4 1 0 4 1.29 — 0.0
1968 BAL AL 4 3 19 6 0 0 1 71.0 49 19 26 70 2.41 2.98 (+19%) 1582.3
1969 KCA AL 7 13 29 29 8 1 0 193.1 170 71 65 82 3.31 3.61 (+9%) 220.7
1970 KCA AL 0 2 4 2 0 0 0 9.0 18 10 0 3 10.00 3.89 (-157%) 0.0
1971 KCA AL 0 1 13 1 0 0 0 34.0 35 20 5 29 5.29 3.47 (-53%) 1626.2
1972 KCA AL 11 6 34 19 10 6 2 173.1 120 40 31 120 2.08 3.26 (+36%) 3234.7
1973 CIN NL 3 2 14 8 1 0 0 54.2 49 21 24 17 3.46 3.75 (+8%) -861.9
1974 CIN NL 4 4 14 12 1 0 1 85.1 67 32 35 42 3.38 3.63 (+7%) -636.9
1976 KCA AL 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 8.2 4 2 4 4 2.08 — 0.0
Career · 9 seasons 29 32 135 77 20 7 4 636.1 516 216 190 371 3.06 — 5,165

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

Roger Nelson — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
135 180 12 23 0 1 0 8 0 11 58 .128 .177 .139 .316 -989

Career AVG .128 vs. league average .250 across their career seasons — 48.8% below league average.

Career OBP .177 vs. league average .317 across their career seasons — 44.2% below league average.

Career SLG .139 vs. league average .365 across their career seasons — 62.0% below league average.

Career OPS .316 vs. league average .682 across their career seasons — 53.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Roger 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
1967 CHA AL 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1968 BAL AL 19 16 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 10 .062 — — — — 0.0
1969 KCA AL 29 58 4 8 0 1 0 3 0 2 16 .138 .248 (-44%) .320 (-49%) .369 (-53%) .689 (-51%) -474.2
1970 KCA AL 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1971 KCA AL 13 6 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 .333 — — — — 0.0
1972 KCA AL 34 54 2 5 0 0 0 0 0 3 19 .093 .243 (-62%) .310 (-55%) .353 (-74%) .664 (-65%) -514.6
1973 CIN NL 14 18 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 .111 — — — — 0.0
1974 CIN NL 14 28 3 5 0 0 0 4 0 2 7 .179 — — — — 0.0
1976 KCA AL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 9 seasons 135 180 12 23 0 1 0 8 0 11 58 .128 — — — — -989

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

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

Playoff Batting by Year

Roger Nelson — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1973 NLCS CIN 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Roger Nelson — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 1 0 0 2.1 0 0 1 0 0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Roger Nelson — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1973 NLCS CIN 0 0 1 0 0 2.1 0 0 1 0 0.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (270 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Roger Nelson — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home61733900.123
Away7410791408.131

Pitching — Home / Away

Roger Nelson — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home61287.2227104851703.25
Away74348.22891121052012.89

Last 10 Games — Batting

Roger Nelson — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1976-09-23 KCROAKL 000000000
1976-09-19 KCRCHWW 000000000
1976-09-10 KCRMINL 000000000
1974-06-23 CINATLW 300000001
1974-06-11 CINWSNL 312000101
1974-06-06 CINNYNL 210000011
1974-06-01 CINPITL 000000000
1974-05-26 CINSDPW 400000001
1974-05-21 CINLADL 200000000
1974-05-15 CINSFGW 200000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Roger Nelson — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1976-09-23 KCROAK — 2.0100220
1976-09-19 KCRCHW — 5.2311020
1976-09-10 KCRMIN — 1.0011200
1974-06-23 CINATL W 7.0622231
1974-06-11 CINWSN — 6.2644121
1974-06-06 CINNYN — 6.2933230
1974-06-01 CINPIT L 1.0343410
1974-05-26 CINSDP W 9.0611450
1974-05-21 CINLAD — 7.0321450
1974-05-15 CINSFG W 8.2233332

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Roger Nelson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 135 77 43 103 8 8

Season-by-Season Fielding

Roger Nelson — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1967 CHA P 5 0 1 2 0 1
1968 BAL P 19 6 3 8 0 0
1969 KCA P 29 29 19 25 5 3
1970 KCA P 4 2 0 3 0 0
1971 KCA P 13 1 2 9 0 0
1972 KCA P 34 19 8 33 1 1
1973 CIN P 14 8 3 12 0 2
1974 CIN P 14 12 6 10 2 1
1976 KCA P 3 0 1 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Roger Nelson Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 135

College History

Roger Nelson — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Mount San Antonio College Walnut CA 1963

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

  1. 98
    Heinie Berger
    32-29, 2.60 ERA
  2. 98
    Jim Hardin
    43-32, 3.18 ERA
  3. 97
    Johnny Wright
    44-23, 3.24 ERA
  4. 93
    Frank Wickware
    56-38, 2.65 ERA
  5. 91
    Harry Krause
    36-26, 2.50 ERA
  6. 90
    José Leblanc
    28-21, 2.64 ERA

Roger Nelson: the record in brief

September 9, 1967 and September 23, 1976 bracket Roger Nelson's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Club by club, the record runs the Chicago White Sox (1967), the Baltimore Orioles (1968), the Kansas City Royals (1969 to 1976), and the Cincinnati Reds (1973 through 1974). At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, Nelson is listed as a pitcher. Nelson both batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is June 7, 1944, in Altadena, CA, USA. The bio lists the given name Roger Eugene.

The pitching table credits Nelson with a 29-32 record and a 3.06 ERA in 135 games. Nelson had 371 strikeouts, 20 complete games, and 7 shutouts. Against a 3.50 league ERA for the same years, Nelson was 12.8% better. No season topped the 11 wins of 1972. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 2.08 in 1972, when the league's was 3.26. Nelson's career Pitcher PIV, which scores run prevention against each season's league, is 5,165.1.

Frequently Asked Questions about Roger Nelson

What years did Roger Nelson play?
Roger Nelson played in Major League Baseball from 1967 to 1976.
Was Roger Nelson a pitcher?
Yes. Roger Nelson pitched in the major leagues, recording 29 wins and 371 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Roger Nelson hit?
Roger Nelson hit 0 career home runs with 23 hits.
What was Roger Nelson's career batting average?
Roger Nelson batted .128 over his career, with 23 hits in 180 at bats.
How many RBI did Roger Nelson have?
Roger Nelson drove in 8 runs in his career.
What was Roger Nelson's career ERA?
Roger Nelson finished with a 3.06 career ERA, going 29-32 with 371 strikeouts.