Nelson Simmons

Nelson Bernard Simmons

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 185 lb.
• High School James Madison High School (San Diego)
• Debut September 4, 1984
• Final Game May 8, 1987
• Born June 27, 1963 in Washington, DC USA

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Biographical Information

Nelson Simmons, a second-round pick in the 1981 amateur draft, made his major league debut with the utterly dominant Detroit Tigers of 1984, for whom he hit .433 in 9 games. The following year, in 1985, he was the fourth outfielder for the Tigers.

He was the first Tiger to hit home runs from both sides of the plate in the same game, on September 16, 1985 against the Baltimore Orioles.

He continued to play minor league, Mexican and independent ball as late as 2000. He was done in the major leagues at age 24, in spite of having an OPS+ of 99 to that point.

Through 2019, he is one of eleven major leaguers who have been named Simmons. He was active at the same time as another Simmons - Ted Simmons.

Further Reading

• Malcolm Allen: "Nelson Simmons", in Mark Pattison and David Raglin, ed.: Detroit Tigers 1984: What A Start! What A Finish!, SABR Publications, Phoenix, AZ, 2012, pp. 151-153. ISBN 978-1933599441

Related Sites

• Nelson Simmons at the SABR Bio Project