Dave Nilsson
Encyclopedia
David Wayne Nilsson (born 14 December 1969 in Brisbane
, Queensland
) is a retired Australia
n professional baseball
player who played as catcher
for Major League Baseball
's Milwaukee Brewers
from to . He was an All-Star in 1999, becoming the only Australian player to appear in an All-Star game. He ended his Major League career on 3 October 1999 with 837 games played
, 789 hits
, 105 home run
s and a .284 career batting average
.
Nilsson became a free agent
in the offseason following , but opted not to sign with any MLB teams because of his desire to play for Australia in the 2000 Olympics. He was widely applauded for this move as he was turning down big money to represent his country, something very rarely seen in baseball. Before leaving the US, he had been Australia's second highest earning sportsman behind Greg Norman
, according to the Business Review Weekly.
Nilsson previously played for the Brisbane Bandits and Melbourne Reds
in the now-defunct Australian Baseball League where he holds the record for all time batting average (.351) and all time slugging average (.661). His brothers Gary, Bob
and Ron also played in the competition. He also played in the Japanese NPB
and Italian Serie A
. He went on to also represent Australia in the 2004 Olympics where they won a historic silver medal, and also represented his country in the inaugural World Baseball Classic
in 2006. He is currently head coach of the Australian MLB Academy.
Nilsson represented Australia at the Olympics in 2000 and 2004, and has been involved in the strategic direction of the sport in Australia. He had been owner of the International Baseball League of Australia
before it went bankrupt.
in January 1987 at the age of 17 as an amateur free agent
. He made his professional debut that year with the Helena Brewers
, batting .394. Nilsson ranked third in the Pioneer League in batting average but was left off the league All-Star Team at catcher in favor of Frank Colston, who hit .397. Baseball America rated Nilsson the #2 prospect in the league.
In 1988 he made his debut for the Queensland Rams
in the Claxton Shield
where he won MVP of the tournament. He then went on to play full season A ball for the Beloit Brewers and in the off-season played for the Gold Coast Clippers
in the newly formed Australian Baseball League. In 1989 he moved to the affiliate, the Stockton Ports
but struggled with the bat and failed to make an impact.
In the 1990 California League
season, Nilsson had a significant improvement and helped the Stockton Ports
win the title and Baseball America rated him the 8th best prospect in the league. Back in the ABL, Nilsson batted at .400 with the Daikyo Dolphins
, only averaging behind fellow Brewers player John Jaha
. Along with brother Bob, he helped Daikyo finish 31-9, best in the league. Nilsson was named to the league All-Star team at catcher and won the MVP Award.
He returned to the US at the age of 22 with the El Paso Diablos
in AA batting with an average of .413 and was promoted to the AAA Denver Zephyrs before the end of the season. Nilsson was named as one of the two Texas League
All-Star catchers that season alongside Ivan Rodriguez
. Baseball America named Nilsson the league's #4 prospect after Rodriguez, Royce Clayton
and Raul Mondesi
. In the winter he helped Daikyo win the ABL 1991-92 season.
in his first season.
After performing below par in the ABL 1992-93 season, Nilsson was the most frequently used catcher for the 1993 Brewers, but due to injury problems, had rehab stints in the minors. On April 11, 1994, Nilsson hit the first home run at Rangers Ballpark in the fifth inning of the first game played there. He also grounded into the first double-play recorded at the ballpark, scored 1-6-3. On 14 April 1994, Nilsson and Graeme Lloyd
formed the first all-Australian battery in an MLB game.
In the 1994 off-season, Nilsson moved to the Brisbane Bandits and played very well in the regular season averaging .362 and slugging .695. Nilsson homered off his first swing of the season that year. He was named to the league All-Star team at catcher. Milwaukee had originally requested that Nilsson be returned to the team in time for spring training
but they later decided to let him stay for the playoffs. He helped Brisbane to an upset win over the Sydney Blues for the championship; he formed a battery with his brother Gary for the final inning of the last round.
Later that year Nilsson had his first full major league season, producing a .275 batting average and .451 slugging average and won Brewers Player of the Year. He then returned to Australia after signing a five year deal with the Waverly Reds where he played 54 games in the ABL 1994-95 season, leading in batting average (.388), on base average (.471) and slugging average (.775). Nilsson was again named as the All-Star catcher and led Waverly to their second title and Nilssons third.
Nilsson contracted Ross River Fever
while playing winter ball and missed the first two months of the 1995 Major League Baseball season
, but after hitting over .400 in three rehab stints, he returned to the Brewers later in the season but was used primarily as a corner outfielder rather than catcher.
Despite being a part owner of the team, Nilsson came to regret his five year deal with Waverly as he missed his hometown of Brisbane
and tried to negotiate a way out of the contract. The dispute lasted six months with the Reds finally coming to the agreement he would play out the rest of the ABL 1995-96 season before returning to Brisbane. In limited appearances, Nilsson contributed a meager .250 with the bat.
He returned to the MLB late again that season due to a broken foot, but had a productive year by setting his MLB career highs in average (.331) and OBP (.407) while still slugging at .525. He hit 33 doubles and 17 home runs, scored 81 runs and drove in 84 in 123 games. He was 6th in the 1996 AL in batting average. On 17 May 1996, Nilsson became the first Milwaukee Brewer to hit two home runs in the same inning (the 6th, vs. Minnesota Twins
, in a 12-1 victory).
Nilsson became a player-manager for the Brisbane Bandits for the ABL 1996-97 season. Although knee surgery cut his season short, he guided the team to the finals with a batting average of .420 which, had he played enough games, would have led the ABL that year. He returned to the US where he batted .278 for the season with 20 home runs playing first base, left field and DH. That off season he did not return to the ABL for the first time due to injuries. In the 1998 season he batted at a discouraging .269 mark for the Brewers.
Nilsson was only 29 years old when he played his last major league season, hitting a 309/.400/.554 clip with 21 home runs for the 1999 Milwaukee Brewers season
. He was also fit enough to play catcher regularly for the club for the first time in five years. In the 1999 All-Star Game
, he replaced Mike Lieberthal as the National League catcher, becoming the first (and so far, only) Australian to play in a Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
where he hit a .379/.457/.517 clip to win tournament MVP and help Australia win its first gold medal
at an international baseball event. Nilsson was third in average behind Akinori Iwamura
and Claudio Liverziani and made the tournament All-Star team at catcher.
So that he could represent Australia in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, he became a free agent after the 1999 MLB season and signed with the Chunichi Dragons
in the NPB
. He only hit .180 for Chunichi and was demoted to the minors, then released. While in Japan, he was registered as "Dingo" as players in NPB can choose what name should appear on their jerseys.
Later in 1999 he bought the Australian Baseball League and renamed it the International Baseball League of Australia
. In the 2000 Sydney Olympics had his best ever international tournament averaging .565 and slugging .957 as a DH/1B. He led the Olympics in average that year, 151 points ahead of runner-up Doug Mientkiewicz
as well as also leading in both slugging and OBP. Despite his excellent performance, Australia finished just 2-5, ahead of only South Africa
.
Nilsson was offered a contract after the Olympics by the Boston Red Sox
but the offer was withdrawn due to Nilsson failing a physical on his left knee.
Nilsson managed the Queensland Rams
in the 2003 Claxton Shield, assisting them to a surprise title. He returned to playing baseball that year for Telemarket Rimini in Serie A1
in Italy
, where, although he only hit .280, ended up slugging at a league high of .920 and had an OBP of .561.
Nilsson played in the Australian season for the first time in five years when he appeared in the 2004 Claxton Shield. He went 5 for 11 with 4 home runs and 12 RBI and even pitched well in one stint on the mound. He led the 2004 Shield in home runs and RBI and was named to the All-Star team at DH. Nilsson then again attempted a comeback in the major leagues. He signed with the Atlanta Braves
and hit .236 in 16 games for the Richmond Braves
, five years after he had last played in the Major Leagues.
Nilsson was back with the Australian national baseball team for the 2004 Athens Olympics. He again had a decent tournament performance batting .296/.441/.444 in 8 games. He had a perfect fielding percentage at catcher and threw out 5 of 8 attempted base-stealers.
Nilsson's career ended when he went 0 for 5 with a strikeout for Australia in the 2006 World Baseball Classic
. In 2008 Nilsson was named to the Sports Australia Hall of Fame. He entered the Hall of Fame with swimmer Ian Thorpe
, Winter Olympics gold medalist Alisa Camplin
, rugby league champion Allan Langer
, tennis player Mark Woodforde
, Australian football and media identity Lou Richards
, and swimming coach John Carew
.
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
) is a retired Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n professional baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player who played as catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
for Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
's Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
from to . He was an All-Star in 1999, becoming the only Australian player to appear in an All-Star game. He ended his Major League career on 3 October 1999 with 837 games played
Games played
Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
, 789 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
, 105 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and a .284 career batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.
Nilsson became a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
in the offseason following , but opted not to sign with any MLB teams because of his desire to play for Australia in the 2000 Olympics. He was widely applauded for this move as he was turning down big money to represent his country, something very rarely seen in baseball. Before leaving the US, he had been Australia's second highest earning sportsman behind Greg Norman
Greg Norman
Gregory John Norman AO is an Australian professional golfer and entrepreneur who spent 331 weeks as the world's Number 1 ranked golfer in the 1980s and 1990s...
, according to the Business Review Weekly.
Nilsson previously played for the Brisbane Bandits and Melbourne Reds
Waverley/Melbourne Reds
The Melbourne Reds were a baseball team in the Australian Baseball League. They were the only team to win the championship 3 times. The Reds originally played at the home of VFL/AFL Football, Waverley Park from 1989 until the 1994 Championship, when they moved to the former home ground of the St...
in the now-defunct Australian Baseball League where he holds the record for all time batting average (.351) and all time slugging average (.661). His brothers Gary, Bob
Bob Nilsson
Robert "Bob" Nilsson was the oldest of the four Nilsson brothers and one of the greatest relievers in the history of Australian baseball leagues. Bob's brother Dave Nilsson was the first Australian All-Star in MLB, his brother Gary Nilsson played in the minors and Ron Nilsson also played in...
and Ron also played in the competition. He also played in the Japanese NPB
NPB
NPB can refer to:* NAS Parallel Benchmarks, a set of benchmarks developed by the NASA for measuring the performance of supercomputers* National Printing Bureau of Japan...
and Italian Serie A
Serie A1 (baseball)
The Italian Baseball League is a professional baseball league that is governed by FIBS , which has its headquarters in Rome...
. He went on to also represent Australia in the 2004 Olympics where they won a historic silver medal, and also represented his country in the inaugural World Baseball Classic
World Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation and created by Major League Baseball , the Major League Baseball Players Association , and other professional baseball leagues and their players associations around the world...
in 2006. He is currently head coach of the Australian MLB Academy.
Nilsson represented Australia at the Olympics in 2000 and 2004, and has been involved in the strategic direction of the sport in Australia. He had been owner of the International Baseball League of Australia
International Baseball League of Australia
The International Baseball League of Australia was a baseball league which existed from 1999 to 2002.The league was created by David Nilsson after he purchased the rights to the Australian Baseball League in 1999 when it was near financial collapse...
before it went bankrupt.
Minor Leagues
Nilsson was signed by the Milwaukee BrewersMilwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
in January 1987 at the age of 17 as an amateur free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He made his professional debut that year with the Helena Brewers
Helena Brewers
The Helena Brewers are a minor league baseball team in the Pioneer League and are the Advanced Rookie League affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Helena, Montana...
, batting .394. Nilsson ranked third in the Pioneer League in batting average but was left off the league All-Star Team at catcher in favor of Frank Colston, who hit .397. Baseball America rated Nilsson the #2 prospect in the league.
In 1988 he made his debut for the Queensland Rams
Queensland Rams
Queensland Rams compete in the Claxton Shield Baseball Championship in Australia. The Rams were one of the founding teams of the Claxton Shield in 1934 and competed as Queensland until 1988. Between 1988 and 1999, the Claxton Shield was awarded to the winner of the Australian Baseball League...
in the Claxton Shield
Claxton Shield
The Claxton Shield was the name of the premier baseball competition in Australia held between state-based teams, as well as the name of the trophy awarded to the champion team...
where he won MVP of the tournament. He then went on to play full season A ball for the Beloit Brewers and in the off-season played for the Gold Coast Clippers
Gold Coast Clippers
The Gold Coast Clippers were a foundation team in the now defunct Australian Baseball League. The Clippers changed their name to the Daikyo Dolphins following the signing of a major sponsorship deal with Daikyo to create one of the strongest teams in ABL history.- See also :*Sport in...
in the newly formed Australian Baseball League. In 1989 he moved to the affiliate, the Stockton Ports
Stockton Ports
The Stockton Ports are a baseball team in Stockton, California. The Ports play in the Northern Division of the Class A – Advanced California League and are a Minor League affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Their home field is Banner Island Ballpark which seats over 5,000 people and opened in...
but struggled with the bat and failed to make an impact.
In the 1990 California League
California League
The California League is a Class A Advanced minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
season, Nilsson had a significant improvement and helped the Stockton Ports
Stockton Ports
The Stockton Ports are a baseball team in Stockton, California. The Ports play in the Northern Division of the Class A – Advanced California League and are a Minor League affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Their home field is Banner Island Ballpark which seats over 5,000 people and opened in...
win the title and Baseball America rated him the 8th best prospect in the league. Back in the ABL, Nilsson batted at .400 with the Daikyo Dolphins
Daikyo Dolphins
The Daikyo Dolphins were formerly the Gold Coast Clippers, a foundation team in the now defunct Australian Baseball League. The Clippers changed their name to the Daikyo Dolphins following the signing of a major sponsorship deal with Japanese real estate development company Daikyo to create one of...
, only averaging behind fellow Brewers player John Jaha
John Jaha
John Emil Jaha is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball who had a 10-year career from 1992 to 2001...
. Along with brother Bob, he helped Daikyo finish 31-9, best in the league. Nilsson was named to the league All-Star team at catcher and won the MVP Award.
He returned to the US at the age of 22 with the El Paso Diablos
El Paso Diablos
The El Paso Diablos are a professional baseball team based in El Paso, Texas, in the United States. The Diablos are a member of the South Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 2005 season to the...
in AA batting with an average of .413 and was promoted to the AAA Denver Zephyrs before the end of the season. Nilsson was named as one of the two Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
All-Star catchers that season alongside Ivan Rodriguez
Iván Rodríguez
Iván Rodríguez Torres , nicknamed "Pudge" and "I-Rod", is a Major League Baseball catcher...
. Baseball America named Nilsson the league's #4 prospect after Rodriguez, Royce Clayton
Royce Clayton
Royce Spencer Clayton is an American former Major League Baseball shortstop and occasional actor.-Baseball career:Clayton was born in Burbank, California. He was drafted out of St...
and Raul Mondesi
Raúl Mondesí
Raúl Ramón Mondesí Avelino is a former Major League Baseball player and the current mayor of San Cristóbal Province in the Dominican Republic. He was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1994 as a right fielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers...
. In the winter he helped Daikyo win the ABL 1991-92 season.
Major League
After continuing to bat well for Denver in 1992, Nilsson was called up to the Brewers and batted in the 9 hole while playing catcher. Despite striking out in his first at bat, he redeemed himself later that game with a three run double. Nilsson was one of the 10 youngest players in the 1992 American LeagueAmerican League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
in his first season.
After performing below par in the ABL 1992-93 season, Nilsson was the most frequently used catcher for the 1993 Brewers, but due to injury problems, had rehab stints in the minors. On April 11, 1994, Nilsson hit the first home run at Rangers Ballpark in the fifth inning of the first game played there. He also grounded into the first double-play recorded at the ballpark, scored 1-6-3. On 14 April 1994, Nilsson and Graeme Lloyd
Graeme Lloyd
Graeme John Lloyd is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who had a ten year career from 1993 to 2003.-Playing career:...
formed the first all-Australian battery in an MLB game.
In the 1994 off-season, Nilsson moved to the Brisbane Bandits and played very well in the regular season averaging .362 and slugging .695. Nilsson homered off his first swing of the season that year. He was named to the league All-Star team at catcher. Milwaukee had originally requested that Nilsson be returned to the team in time for spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
but they later decided to let him stay for the playoffs. He helped Brisbane to an upset win over the Sydney Blues for the championship; he formed a battery with his brother Gary for the final inning of the last round.
Later that year Nilsson had his first full major league season, producing a .275 batting average and .451 slugging average and won Brewers Player of the Year. He then returned to Australia after signing a five year deal with the Waverly Reds where he played 54 games in the ABL 1994-95 season, leading in batting average (.388), on base average (.471) and slugging average (.775). Nilsson was again named as the All-Star catcher and led Waverly to their second title and Nilssons third.
Nilsson contracted Ross River Fever
Ross River Fever
Ross River Fever is a mosquito-borne infectious disease caused by infection with the Ross River virus. The illness is typically characterised by an influenza-like illness and polyarthritis...
while playing winter ball and missed the first two months of the 1995 Major League Baseball season
1995 Major League Baseball season
Due to the 1994 Major League Baseball strike which carried into the 1995 season, a shortened 144 game schedule commenced on April 25, when the Florida Marlins played host to the Los Angeles Dodgers.-Regular season:...
, but after hitting over .400 in three rehab stints, he returned to the Brewers later in the season but was used primarily as a corner outfielder rather than catcher.
Despite being a part owner of the team, Nilsson came to regret his five year deal with Waverly as he missed his hometown of Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and tried to negotiate a way out of the contract. The dispute lasted six months with the Reds finally coming to the agreement he would play out the rest of the ABL 1995-96 season before returning to Brisbane. In limited appearances, Nilsson contributed a meager .250 with the bat.
He returned to the MLB late again that season due to a broken foot, but had a productive year by setting his MLB career highs in average (.331) and OBP (.407) while still slugging at .525. He hit 33 doubles and 17 home runs, scored 81 runs and drove in 84 in 123 games. He was 6th in the 1996 AL in batting average. On 17 May 1996, Nilsson became the first Milwaukee Brewer to hit two home runs in the same inning (the 6th, vs. Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
, in a 12-1 victory).
Nilsson became a player-manager for the Brisbane Bandits for the ABL 1996-97 season. Although knee surgery cut his season short, he guided the team to the finals with a batting average of .420 which, had he played enough games, would have led the ABL that year. He returned to the US where he batted .278 for the season with 20 home runs playing first base, left field and DH. That off season he did not return to the ABL for the first time due to injuries. In the 1998 season he batted at a discouraging .269 mark for the Brewers.
Nilsson was only 29 years old when he played his last major league season, hitting a 309/.400/.554 clip with 21 home runs for the 1999 Milwaukee Brewers season
1999 Milwaukee Brewers season
The Milwaukee Brewers' 1999 season involved the Brewers' finishing 5th in the National League Central with a record of 74 wins and 87 losses.-Offseason:* November 11, 1998: Bob Hamelin was released by the Brewers....
. He was also fit enough to play catcher regularly for the club for the first time in five years. In the 1999 All-Star Game
1999 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1999 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 70th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball...
, he replaced Mike Lieberthal as the National League catcher, becoming the first (and so far, only) Australian to play in a Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
Stardom in international competitions
In 1999, Nilsson played in the Intercontinental CupIntercontinental Cup (baseball)
The Intercontinental Cup is a baseball tournament between the members of the International Baseball Federation . It was first held in 1973 in Italy, and was held every other year following until 1999....
where he hit a .379/.457/.517 clip to win tournament MVP and help Australia win its first gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
at an international baseball event. Nilsson was third in average behind Akinori Iwamura
Akinori Iwamura
Akinori Iwamura is a Japanese Major League Baseball infielder, who is currently with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Japanese Pacific League...
and Claudio Liverziani and made the tournament All-Star team at catcher.
So that he could represent Australia in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, he became a free agent after the 1999 MLB season and signed with the Chunichi Dragons
Chunichi Dragons
The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chubu region of Japan. The team is in the Central League. They won the 2007 Japan Series and 2007 Asia Series.-History:...
in the NPB
NPB
NPB can refer to:* NAS Parallel Benchmarks, a set of benchmarks developed by the NASA for measuring the performance of supercomputers* National Printing Bureau of Japan...
. He only hit .180 for Chunichi and was demoted to the minors, then released. While in Japan, he was registered as "Dingo" as players in NPB can choose what name should appear on their jerseys.
Later in 1999 he bought the Australian Baseball League and renamed it the International Baseball League of Australia
International Baseball League of Australia
The International Baseball League of Australia was a baseball league which existed from 1999 to 2002.The league was created by David Nilsson after he purchased the rights to the Australian Baseball League in 1999 when it was near financial collapse...
. In the 2000 Sydney Olympics had his best ever international tournament averaging .565 and slugging .957 as a DH/1B. He led the Olympics in average that year, 151 points ahead of runner-up Doug Mientkiewicz
Doug Mientkiewicz
Douglas Andrew Mientkiewicz is a first baseman who last appeared in the majors in with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed...
as well as also leading in both slugging and OBP. Despite his excellent performance, Australia finished just 2-5, ahead of only South Africa
South Africa national baseball team
The South African national baseball team is a baseball team which represents the Republic of South Africa in international baseball competitions such as the World Baseball Classic and formerly the Summer Olympics.-All-Africa Games:...
.
Nilsson was offered a contract after the Olympics by the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
but the offer was withdrawn due to Nilsson failing a physical on his left knee.
Later years
After a two-year break from baseball, Nilsson signed a contract with the Red Sox on 21 January 2003 and was expected to play in the 2003 MLB season with a $400,000 contract. However, on 14 February it was announced that Nilsson had decided against playing after losing the will to play.Nilsson managed the Queensland Rams
Queensland Rams
Queensland Rams compete in the Claxton Shield Baseball Championship in Australia. The Rams were one of the founding teams of the Claxton Shield in 1934 and competed as Queensland until 1988. Between 1988 and 1999, the Claxton Shield was awarded to the winner of the Australian Baseball League...
in the 2003 Claxton Shield, assisting them to a surprise title. He returned to playing baseball that year for Telemarket Rimini in Serie A1
Serie A1 (baseball)
The Italian Baseball League is a professional baseball league that is governed by FIBS , which has its headquarters in Rome...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where, although he only hit .280, ended up slugging at a league high of .920 and had an OBP of .561.
Nilsson played in the Australian season for the first time in five years when he appeared in the 2004 Claxton Shield. He went 5 for 11 with 4 home runs and 12 RBI and even pitched well in one stint on the mound. He led the 2004 Shield in home runs and RBI and was named to the All-Star team at DH. Nilsson then again attempted a comeback in the major leagues. He signed with the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
and hit .236 in 16 games for the Richmond Braves
Richmond Braves
The Richmond Braves were the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and played in the International League. Colloquially referred to as the R-Braves, they were based in Richmond, Virginia, where they played from 1966, when the Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta where their AAA team, the Crackers,...
, five years after he had last played in the Major Leagues.
Nilsson was back with the Australian national baseball team for the 2004 Athens Olympics. He again had a decent tournament performance batting .296/.441/.444 in 8 games. He had a perfect fielding percentage at catcher and threw out 5 of 8 attempted base-stealers.
Nilsson's career ended when he went 0 for 5 with a strikeout for Australia in the 2006 World Baseball Classic
2006 World Baseball Classic
---------Pool B:-------------Pool C:-------------Pool D:-------------Pool 1:-----------------Pool 2:-------------Finals:-Semifinals:-Final:-Final standings:...
. In 2008 Nilsson was named to the Sports Australia Hall of Fame. He entered the Hall of Fame with swimmer Ian Thorpe
Ian Thorpe
Ian James Thorpe OAM , nicknamed the Thorpedo and Thorpey, is an Australian swimmer who specialises in freestyle, but also competes in backstroke and the individual medley. He has won five Olympic gold medals, the most won by any Australian, and with three gold and two silver medals, was the most...
, Winter Olympics gold medalist Alisa Camplin
Alisa Camplin
Alisa Camplin OAM is an Australian aerial skier who won gold at the 2002 Winter Olympics, the second ever winter olympic gold medal for Australia. At the 2006 Winter Olympics, Camplin finished third, a bronze medal...
, rugby league champion Allan Langer
Allan Langer
Allan "Alfie" Langer AM is an Australian former multi-award-winning rugby league footballer of the 1980s, 90s and 2000s who works as an assistant coach for the Australian national team and Brisbane Broncos...
, tennis player Mark Woodforde
Mark Woodforde
Mark Woodforde is a former professional tennis player from Australia. He is best known as one half of "The Woodies", a doubles partnership with Todd Woodbridge....
, Australian football and media identity Lou Richards
Lou Richards
Lewis Thomas Charles "Lou" Richards is a retired Australian rules footballer, who played 250 games with the Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League between 1941 and 1955...
, and swimming coach John Carew
John Carew
John Alieu Carew , is a Norwegian professional association football player who plays for West Ham United and the Norwegian national team. His father is Gambian and his mother is Norwegian; he was born and raised in Norway.-Vålerenga:John Alieu Carew began his career with his local club Lørenskog,...
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