David “Davey” Nelson, 73, was a Major League Baseball player and one of the broadcasters for the Milwaukee Brewers on Fox Sports Wisconsin. He played in the league for 10 seasons, from 1968-1977, for the Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, and Kansas City Royals. After he retired he became a coach and has helped developed many players including Kenny Lofton, Scott Podsednik, and Rickie Weeks. He also worked for the Brewers as an analyst, broadcaster, and eventually was given a front-office role.
Sadly, Nelson passed away in April 2018 after a long illness. He will be remembered for his great contribution in multiple capacities to the baseball community.
Davey Nelson Net Worth As Of 2018: Approx. $1 Million
Let’s take a look back at Nelson’s long and inspiring career in America’s pastime where he worked as a player, coach, commentator, and in the front office.
Early Life
Nelson was born in Fort Sill, Oklahoma in 1944. He graduated from Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, California, and attended Compton Junior College and Los Angeles State College. Nelson served for six years in the Army Reserve.
1968-1977
Nelson played his first career game with the Cleveland Indians on April 11, 1968, spending two seasons with the tribe before being traded to the Washington Senators during the 1969–70 offseason. In 1971, Nelson finally began seeing regular time in the field, coming to bat over 300 times for the first time in his career. The Washing Senators franchise became the Texas Rangers in the 1972 season, and Nelson moved with the team. He had his best year in 1973 when he was named an all-star and finished the season with a batting average of .286, with seven home runs and 48 RBIs. Nelson was traded to the Royals following the 1975 season. He didn’t see much playing time with the Royals and retired after a ten-year career following the 1977 season.
1980-2006
In 1980, Nelson was named a coach for Texas Christian University’s baseball team. The following season, he returned to the majors as a coach for the Chicago White Sox, where he remained until 1984. Over the next two-plus decades he worked in various capacities for the Oakland Athletics, Montreal Expos, Cleveland Indians, and Milwaukee Brewers.
2007-2018
Nelson was a pregame analyst for the Milwaukee Brewers on Fox Sports Wisconsin. He was also the Director of Milwaukee Brewers Alumni Relations. His previous experience as a sportscaster was on Kansas City Royals telecasts in 1979, on Chicago Cubs radio broadcasts from 1988–1989, and on Cleveland Indians radio broadcasts from 1998–1999. In 2012 Nelson was inducted into his alma mater Compton Community College Athletics Hall of Fame for his achievements in baseball. Outside of baseball, he sat on the board of directors for Open Arms Home for Children, a non-profit organization that provides homes to orphaned children affected by the AIDS pandemic in South Africa. Nelson passed away in April 2018 after a long fight with liver cancer.
