Attended Redan High School in Decatur, Georgia...is the same high school attended by Brandon Phillips...in 2004 was a High School All-American as selected by Baseball America and USA Today and Louisville Slugger's High School Player of the Year for Georgia...in that summer's draft was rated the second-best position player and fourth-best player overall.
2013
Made 64 apps for the Rockies, Yankees and Angels...began the season with the Rockies...was acquired by the Yankees on 5/1 for cash or a player to be named later...on 5/18 was claimed off waivers by LAA and spent the rest of the season with the Angels...while with LAA missed 19g in August and September with a strained right hamstring...became a free agent following the season and on 1/27/14 was signed by the Reds to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League spring training camp.
2012
Set career-highs in every offensive category in 2012, including: games (111), batting average (.301), runs (45), hits
(104), doubles (21), triples (4), home runs (9), RBI (53), on-base percentage (.352) and slugging percentage (.458). Missed time from 5/16-31 with a left wrist injury, then again from 7/17-8/6 with an irregular heartbeat. Was a member of the Rockies Opening Day roster for the first time in 2012 and was Colorado's Opening Day starting
third baseman. Was one of the Rockies most productive hitters following the All-Star break, as he hit .344 (62-for-180) with 12 doubles
2 triples, 4 home runs and 30 RBI in 55 games...had an .881 OPS after the break...led all NL third basemen in batting
average following the break. Hit .341 (47-for-138) with runners on, .363 (33-for-91) with runners in scoring position and .429 (3-for-7) with the bases
loaded in 2012. Hit .345 (61-for-177) with 12 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs and 30 RBI from the beginning of August through the end
of the season...his .345 batting average from 8/1-on was the highest mark among MLB third baseman, higher than AL
Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera (.344). Was named the National League Player of the Week for the week of September 10-16, 2012...during six games that
week, Nelson hit .560 (14-for-25) with 2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, 5 RBI and 6 runs scored.
2011
Split his 2011 season between the Majors with Colorado and in Triple-A Colorado Springs with the Sky Sox...2011
marked the 2nd-straight season Nelson has spent time in the Majors, after making his MLB debut with Colorado in 2010...Nelson hit .250 (45-for-180) with 10 doubles, a triple, 4 home runs, 16 RBI and 20 runs scored in 63 games for the Rox
in 2011...Nelson saw playing time between second base (29 games), third base (24 games) and shortstop (2 games)...Played 73 games for the Sky Sox, where he batted .329 (95-for-289) with 20 doubles, 5 triples, 11 home runs and 65
RBI...Nelson had a .913 OPS (.366 OBP, .547 SLG) with the Sky Sox...The infielder was up-and-down between the Majors and Triple-A in 2011, as he was originally recalled on 5/29 and spent
a month in the Majors before being optioned back to Triple-A on 7/1...he returned to Colorado on 7/27 before again
being optioned on 8/24...Nelson was recalled from Triple-A on 9/9, where he would spend the remainder of 2011...Connected on his first career MLB home run on 6/17 vs. DET, a three-run shot off Rick Porcello...knocked his second
career home run one game later on 6/18 vs. DET when he hit a solo home run off Charlie Furbush...two other home
runs were 9/9 vs. CIN and 9/23 at HOU, both solo shots...His home run 9/23 at HOU was as a pinch-hitter...hit .364 (4-for-11) with one double, the home run, 4 RBI and 2 runs
as a pinch-hitter in 2011...Was most productive in September, as he batted .375 (9-for-24) with a double, 2 home runs, 4 RBI and 5 runs scored...Is now a .321 career hitter (195-for-608) with 35 doubles, 23 home runs and 120 RBI in 158 games at the Triple-A level
after spending his first two seasons at Triple-A in 2010-11
2010
Reached the Majors for the first time in his career in 2010...had spent each of his first six professional
seasons in the Minor Leagues after being drafted in the first round (9th overall) in the 2004 First-Year
Player Draft by Colorado...Was first recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs on 6/18 and spent over a week on the active roster...
made his first career start in the Majors on June 22 where he went 1-for-3 with a run as the Rockies
third baseman against the Red Sox...was optioned back to Triple-A on 6/29...was later recalled for three
days (8/5-8) in August but did not make an appearance...Spent the rest of his season as a regular infielder for Triple-A Colorado Springs...2010 was his first season
seeing action at the Triple-A level...was added to the active Major League roster for the remainder
of the season on 9/1...Stole his first career base in the 8th inning against Cincinnati on September 9...the stolen base was a
"straight steal" of home to give the Rockies a 6-5 lead...it was the first "straight steal" of home in Rockies
history though it was the 15th steal of home in franchise history...13 of the other 14 steals of home
involved another playing also stealing second base on the same play as the steal of home...the only
other play in which only home was the base that was stolen was on 6/30/96 vs. LAD when Eric Young
Sr. stole home...although, there was an attempted steal of second on that play by Ellis Burks, but he was
never tagged out, nor did he actually steal 2nd base...Elias Says: Nelson became the first Major-Leaguer with a go-ahead steal of home in the 8th inning or
later since Omar Vizquel broke a 2-2 8th-inning tie by swiping home with two outs - it was also a "straight"
steal of home, rather than part of a double steal - for Cleveland at Detroit on May 27, 2003...Made three starts in the final six days of the season, going 2-for-11 (.182) with a run and a walk...started
at second base in all three of those games despite making his first career start at third base...was
used mainly as a shortstop for Triple-A Colorado Springs.
2009
Spent his entire season at Double-A Tulsa, though he played his last game of the sesaon on
May 22 due to injury...appeared in just 29 games for the Drillers, batting .280 (30-for-107) with 11 extra base
hits, and 17 RBI in the 29 games...was hitting .300 (12-for-40) in May before the injury...started at shortstop
and batted 2nd in 27 of his 29 games for the Drillers.
2008
Named first-team HS All-American by both Baseball America and USA Today and was
selected as Louisville Slugger 's HS Player of the Year for state of Georgia in '04...was rated as 4th-best
available prospect in the draft according to Baseball America and the 2nd-best position player...signed July
1, 2004 by Damon Iannelli.
2007
Posted career highs in nearly every single offensive category in what was his best season as a
Rockies farmhand...batted .289 (153-529) with 97 runs, 42 doubles, seven triples, 19 homers, and 27 stolen
bases in 133 games for Single-A Modesto...among CAL leaders, ranked second in both doubles and extra
base hits (68), third in games and total bases (266), and fifth in triples, RBI and hits...played 130 games at
shortstop and committed 31 errors in 580 total chances...those miscues were the second-most among Cal
league shortstops in 2007...led Colorado's organization in total bases and he tied with Joe Koshansky for
the most RBI of any Rox Minor League player...was named a CAL Post-Season All-Star, a Topps Class A
All-Star and a
Baseball America High Class A All-Star...produced one of the best months of any Minor
League player in July, batting .368 (42-for-114) with 34 runs scored, nine home runs and a Minor League-best
41 RBI in 27 games...went 3-for-5 with two HR's and season-high five RBI on July 3 at Stockton...had 32 RBI
prior to the All-Star break, but drove in 67 runs following the break...following the season was named by
Baseball America as the seventh-best prospect in Colorado's system.
2006
Spent second straight season with the Asheville...played 109 games at SS, posting a .918 fielding
percentage (41 e/499 tc)...reached base safely in 24 straight games from April 21-May 25...missed a little
over a week from May 16-23 with right elbow inflammation...named to the Mid-Season All-Star team after
batting .288 with four home runs and 35 RBI...started at shortstop and went 0-for-2...recorded 31 multi-hit
games and 19 multi-RBI contests...recorded season-best five RBI on Aug. 2 vs. Delmarva...following the
season, played for the Waikiki Beach Boys of the HWL...batted .261 (23-for-88) with one home run and 13 RBI in 26 games...named the 19th-best prospect in the Rockies' farm system by
Baseball America.
2005
Played in five games before being placed on DL from April 18-26 with a strained right hamstring...
missed all of May after being sent to extended Spring Training to rehab...returned on June 2...hit
for the cycle on July 15 at Savannah in 7-5 win...recorded single in the first, double in the third inning, triple
in the fourth and hit a solo home run in the seventh inning...finished 4-for-5 with two runs and three RBI...rated as the
Rockies' 10th-best prospect in farm system by
Baseball America entering 2006 campaign...also rated as
the best athlete in Rockies farm system by the same publication.
2004
Made his pro debut at Casper (R) where he was rated as the No. 1 prospect in the Pioneer
League by
Baseball America...signed on July 1 and didn't make his first appearance until July 9, which kept
him from reaching the 205 plate appearances necessary to qualify for the batting title...compiled a 15-game
hitting streak, July 10-Aug. 3, during which he hit .393 (24-for-61)...in the final game of that stretch, Aug.
3 vs. Idaho Falls, Nelson went 3-for-4 with two homers and 5 RBI, the first two HR's of his professional
career...rated as Colorado's second-best prospect by
Baseball America entering 2005.
