Andy Nezelek

Francis Andrew Nezelek

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 6", Weight 218 lb.
• School Bucknell University

• Born October 24, 1965 in Endicott, NY USA

BR minors page

Click on edit above to add biographical information

Andy Nezelek was considered a pitching prospect for the Atlanta Braves. He spent 7 years in the minors, 3 of them in AAA, posting a 34-32 record overall.

Nezelek was the 5th-round pick by Atlanta in the 1986 amateur draft. He debuted that year with the Pulaski Braves and went 2-4 with a 2.85 ERA, 6th-best in the Appalachian League. In 1987, Andy was 6-3 with a 1,80 ERA for the Sumter Braves. He walked 12 and struck out 67 in 85 innings while allowing 56 hits. He only made 12 starts, presumably due to injury. He fell 27 innings shy of qualifying for the South Atlantic League; he would have ranked third, ahead of Pat Hentgen and many other future major leaguers.

In 1988, Nezelek had his first struggles as a pro. With the Greenville Braves, he was 7-8 with a 4.38 ERA. The next year, Andy made it to AAA with the Richmond Braves and had a 4-5, 2.44 record in a new role in relief. He saved 12 games, second on the team to Mark Eichhorn. Nezelek had a lower ERA than future big-leaguers Gary Eave, Tommy Greene and Kent Mercker on a staff that led the International League in ERA. Nezelek was third in the IL in saves behind only Eichhorn and Dickie Noles. A baseball card that year listed him as three years old.

At age 25, Andy declined significantly. He had a 4-9, 5.13 record for Richmond. He presumably was injured, as he missed all of 1991. In 1992, Nezelek returned and had a good year. He had a 9-2, 2.26 record with one save for Greenville, striking out 114 and walking 23 in 107 2/3 IP. He pitched six scoreless innings for Richmond as well. He pitched a scoreless inning for the NL in the AA All-Star Game.

It is unclear if Nezelek pitched professionally anywhere in 1993-1994. On March 11, 1993, Andy was optioned to the Calgary Cannons by the Seattle Mariners but he did not pitch for them that year. In 1995, he resurfaced with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. That season, he pitched for the Carolina Mudcats (1-0, 1 Sv, 5.14) and the GCL Pirates (1-1, 1 Sv, 7.71) in his comeback bid.

Sources: 1987 Baseball America Statistics Report, 1988-1996 Baseball Almanacs, Article about baseball card errors