Bubba Nelson

Kenneth Daniel Nelson

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 210 lb.
• High School Riverdale Baptist School

• Born August 26, 1981 in Clinton, MD USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Bubba Nelson was a top pitching prospect in the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds organizations. He was taken by Atlanta in the 2nd round of the 2000 amateur draft, one pick ahead of shortstop Tim Hummel.

He had an underwhelming, though promising, debut campaign, going 3-2 with 54 strikeouts and a 4.23 ERA in 44 2/3 innings for the GCL Braves in 2000. He followed that with a 12-8, 3.93 line in 151 innings, striking out 154 batters, for the Macon Braves in 2001. 2002 was his breakout year. Between the GCL Braves (3 starts) and Pelicans (23 starts), he was 11-5 with a 1.66 ERA, allowing just 99 hits in 140 2/3 innings. Baseball America ranked him the #58 prospect in baseball going into 2003, and he did not disappoint: just 21 years old, he went 8-11 with a 3.04 ERA in 133 1/3 innings, including a 1.88 ERA in 11 relief appearances for the Triple A Richmond Braves. BA named him the game's #75 prospect going into 2004.

On March 26, 2004, he was traded with fellow pitcher Jung Bong to the Reds for hurler Chris Reitsma. The wheels fell off upon joining the Reds organization. In his debut campaign, he was 2-12 with a 5.67 ERA in 22 games (21 starts), including a 1-10, 7.09 line in 12 starts for the Triple A Louisville Bats. Shifting to the bullpen, he spent all of 2005 with the Double A Chattanooga Lookouts, posting a 4.61 ERA in 42 appearances, despite 12 saves and a 9.2 K/9 IP ratio. He was sent to the Arizona Fall League for further conditioning, posting a 6.59 ERA in 9 relief appearances for the Mesa Solar Sox. He never put it back together. Becoming a journeyman, he played in the San Diego Padres system in 2006, the Philadelphia Phillies system in 2007 and the Toronto Blue Jays system in 2008. He wrapped up his career with the independent Pensacola Pelicans in 2009.

Overall, he was 49-58 with a 3.81 ERA in 261 affiliated games (114 starts). He was 54-64, 3.97 overall.