Ryne Tanner Nelson (born February 2, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB).
| Ryne Nelson | |
|---|---|
| Arizona Diamondbacks – No. 52 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1998-02-01) February 1, 1998 (age 24) Henderson, Nevada | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 5, 2022, for the Arizona Diamondbacks | |
| MLB statistics (through 2022 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 1–1 |
| Earned run average | 1.47 |
| Strikeouts | 16 |
| Teams | |
| |
Nelson attended and graduated from Basic High School in Henderson, Nevada. As a junior, he batted .412 with four home runs and 22 RBIs along with pitching to a 6-1 record with a 2.03 ERA.[1] In 2016, his senior year, he compiled a 1.91 ERA while batting .415, leading Basic to a state championship and earning a spot on the Nevada All-State team.[2][3] Unselected out of high school in the 2016 Major League Baseball draft, he enrolled at the University of Oregon to play college baseball for the Oregon Ducks.
In 2017, as a freshman at Oregon, Nelson suffered an injury and pitched only 13+1⁄3 innings in which he had a 4.72 ERA.[4] As a sophomore in 2018, he returned healthy and appeared in 16 games out of the bullpen, going 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA.[5][6] He spent that summer playing in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox with whom he was named an All-Star.[7][8] For the 2019 season, he was moved into the starting rotation, but returned to the bullpen after suffering a heel injury.[9][10] He finished the year with a 3-4 record and a 4.29 ERA in 23 appearances (four starts), earning him a spot on the All-Pac-12 Team.[11][12]
Nelson was considered one of the top prospects for the 2019 Major League Baseball draft.[13] He was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second round, with the 56th overall pick, and signed for $1.1 million.[14][15] He was assigned to the Hillsboro Hops of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League, going 0-1 with a 2.89 ERA over 18+2⁄3 innings, striking out 26.[16] He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[17]
To begin the 2021 season, Nelson returned to Hillsboro, now members of the High-A West.[18] After eight starts in which he pitched to a 4-1 record with a 2.52 ERA and 59 strikeouts over 39+1⁄3 innings, he was promoted to the Amarillo Sod Poodles of the Double-A Central.[19] Over 14 starts with Amarillo, Nelson went 3-3 with a 3.51 ERA and 104 strikeouts over 77 innings.[20] The Diamondbacks named Nelson their Minor League Pitcher of the Year.[21] He was assigned to the Reno Aces of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League to begin the 2022 season.[22]
On September 5, 2022, the Diamondbacks selected Nelson's contract and promoted him to the major leagues.[23] He made his MLB debut that night as the club's starting pitcher versus the San Diego Padres, throwing seven scoreless innings while striking out seven batters and walking zero in a 5-0 Diamondbacks win.[24]