Melvin Nieves
Encyclopedia
Melvin Nieves Ramos is a former professional baseball
outfielder
. He played all or part of seven seasons in Major League Baseball
from 1992 until 1998, and two seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball in 1999-2000. Listed at 6'2", 210 lb., he was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed.
before being signed by the Atlanta Braves
in 1988.
His time with the Pulaski Braves in 1989 was a great improvement. He played 64 games with them that year, hitting .277 with nine home runs and 64 RBI. He continued his improvement in 1990, hitting .283 with nine home runs and 59 RBI in 126 games with the Sumter Braves
. His 10 stolen bases is a professional career high that he would match only once more in his career.
His 1991 season with the Durham Bulls
was less stellar than his previous season-he hit only .264-but he remained consistent in the home run category, again hitting nine home runs.
He did very well in 1992, hitting a combined 26 home runs between the Bulls and Greenville Braves
. This prompted his promotion to the Majors, and he made his debut on September 1 of that year with the Braves. At the age of 20, he was the youngest person to don a big league uniform that season. His first stint in the majors was less than impressive-in 19 at-bats, he hit only .211. He collected his first big league hit off the infamous Anthony Young of the New York Mets
in his second career at-bat on September 2.
, before being traded with minor leaguer Vince Moore and Donnie Elliott
to the San Diego Padres
for Fred McGriff
in July of that year. In 43 games with the Padres' AAA team, the Las Vegas Stars
, he hit .308 with seven home runs. He spent 19 games in the Majors in 1993, hitting an unimpressive .191. He did hit his first career home run that season, a solo shot off pitcher Chris Hammond
on September 8. He was the seventh youngest player to don a uniform in 1993. According to Baseball America
, he was the 39th best prospect in 1993.
His 1994 season was perhaps the best of his professional career. In 406 at-bats with Las Vegas, he blasted 25 home runs and drove in 92 runs, all the while hitting .308. A poor eye at the plate led him to 138 strikeouts, though. That earned him a promotion to the majors, where he for once was somewhat impressive-in 19 at-bats with the Padres, he hit .263. He spent all of 1995 with the Padres. In 234 at-bats, he hit only .205 with 88 strikeouts. His 14 home runs were overshadowed by the large number of whiffs. He hit the only two grand slams of his career in 1995-the first off Terry Mulholland
on August 2 and the second off Doug Henry
on August 26. Baseball America says he was the 69th best prospect in 1994.
Perhaps it was his poor performance in 1995 that prompted the Padres to trade him. On March 22, 1996, just before the beginning of the season, Nieves was traded with Raul Casanova
and Richie Lewis
to the Detroit Tigers
for Sean Bergman
, Todd Steverson
and Cade Gaspar
, a minor leaguer.
, he collected two doubles, a triple and a home run. Twice in 1996 he also accomplished the fairly rare feat of hitting home runs from both sides of the plate in a game. The first time he did it was against the Milwaukee Brewers
on July 15-he victimized pitchers Ricky Bones
and Mike Potts
in that game. The next time he did it was on August 20. against the Chicago White Sox
. In that game, he victimized pitchers Kevin Tapani
and Rich Sauveur
. Oddly, those were the only two games in his career in which he hit two or more home runs.
Although he hit 20 home runs in 1997 for Detroit, his batting average again was subpar at .228, and he struck out 157 times in 359 at-bats. His 158 strikeouts in 1996 and 157 strikeouts in 1997 were second most by a batter each year, trailing only Jay Buhner
each year.
for Paul Bako
and Donne Wall
. Although he played 15 games and hit .283 in the minors with the Indianapolis Indians
in 1998, he spent most of the season as a bench player, getting 119 at-bats in 83 games. He hit .252 in that time. That would be the last of the majors he would see, playing his final game on September 14 of that year. He finished his big league career on a ten at-bat long hitless streak.
. From that point on, he played affiliated, foreign and independent baseball. In addition to Japan, Nieves has spent time in Mexico, the Atlantic League
, and the Northern League, just to name a few locations. Most recently, he spent with the Vaqueros Laguna
of the Mexican League.
and nephew of José Morales. At last check, he lived in Southern Pines, North Carolina
.
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
. He played all or part of seven seasons in 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...
from 1992 until 1998, and two seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball in 1999-2000. Listed at 6'2", 210 lb., he was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed.
Early life
Nieves attended Luis Pales Matos High School in Santa Rosa, Puerto RicoPuerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
before being signed by 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....
in 1988.
Atlanta Braves
Nieves started his professional career fairly poorly. In 56 games with the Gulf Coast League Braves in 1988, he batting average was an anemic .170. He was only 16 years old at that time.His time with the Pulaski Braves in 1989 was a great improvement. He played 64 games with them that year, hitting .277 with nine home runs and 64 RBI. He continued his improvement in 1990, hitting .283 with nine home runs and 59 RBI in 126 games with the Sumter Braves
Sumter Braves
The Sumter Braves were a minor league baseball team located in Sumter, South Carolina. The team played in the South Atlantic League, and were affiliated with the Atlanta Braves. Their home stadium was Riley Park....
. His 10 stolen bases is a professional career high that he would match only once more in his career.
His 1991 season with the Durham Bulls
Durham Bulls
The Durham Bulls are a minor league baseball team that currently plays in the International League. The Bulls play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park located in the downtown area of Durham, North Carolina. Durham Bulls Athletic Park is often called the "DBAP" or "D-Bap". The Bulls are...
was less stellar than his previous season-he hit only .264-but he remained consistent in the home run category, again hitting nine home runs.
He did very well in 1992, hitting a combined 26 home runs between the Bulls and Greenville Braves
Greenville Braves
The Greenville Braves were an American minor league baseball franchise, based in Greenville, South Carolina, that served as the Class AA farm team of the Atlanta Braves between 1984 and 2004...
. This prompted his promotion to the Majors, and he made his debut on September 1 of that year with the Braves. At the age of 20, he was the youngest person to don a big league uniform that season. His first stint in the majors was less than impressive-in 19 at-bats, he hit only .211. He collected his first big league hit off the infamous Anthony Young of the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
in his second career at-bat on September 2.
San Diego Padres
He started the 1993 season in the Braves system, hitting .278 with 10 home runs in 78 games with the Richmond BravesRichmond 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,...
, before being traded with minor leaguer Vince Moore and Donnie Elliott
Donnie Elliott
Donald Glenn Elliott is a former right-handed Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played from 1994 to 1995 for the San Diego Padres. He was 6'4" and he weighed 190 pounds....
to the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
for Fred McGriff
Fred McGriff
Frederick Stanley McGriff is a left-handed former Major League Baseball player who starred for several teams from the mid-1980s until the early 2000s. A power-hitting first baseman with a tall, lanky build, the five-time All-Star became, in , the first player since the dead-ball era to lead both...
in July of that year. In 43 games with the Padres' AAA team, the Las Vegas Stars
Las Vegas 51s
The Las Vegas 51s, formerly known as the Las Vegas Stars, are a minor league baseball team. They are the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. They play at Cashman Field in Las Vegas, Nevada. The team competes in the Pacific Coast League...
, he hit .308 with seven home runs. He spent 19 games in the Majors in 1993, hitting an unimpressive .191. He did hit his first career home run that season, a solo shot off pitcher Chris Hammond
Chris Hammond
Christopher Andrew Hammond is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball.Hammond was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the sixth round of the amateur draft. Hammond had not sustained considerable success until his revival as a relief pitcher with the Atlanta Braves...
on September 8. He was the seventh youngest player to don a uniform in 1993. According to Baseball America
Baseball America
Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
, he was the 39th best prospect in 1993.
His 1994 season was perhaps the best of his professional career. In 406 at-bats with Las Vegas, he blasted 25 home runs and drove in 92 runs, all the while hitting .308. A poor eye at the plate led him to 138 strikeouts, though. That earned him a promotion to the majors, where he for once was somewhat impressive-in 19 at-bats with the Padres, he hit .263. He spent all of 1995 with the Padres. In 234 at-bats, he hit only .205 with 88 strikeouts. His 14 home runs were overshadowed by the large number of whiffs. He hit the only two grand slams of his career in 1995-the first off Terry Mulholland
Terry Mulholland
Terence John Mulholland is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He threw left-handed and batted right-handed.-Early and personal life:...
on August 2 and the second off Doug Henry
Doug Henry (baseball)
Richard Douglas Henry is a former relief pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers , New York Mets , San Francisco Giants , Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals...
on August 26. Baseball America says he was the 69th best prospect in 1994.
Perhaps it was his poor performance in 1995 that prompted the Padres to trade him. On March 22, 1996, just before the beginning of the season, Nieves was traded with Raul Casanova
Raul Casanova
Raul Casanova was a Major League Baseball catcher from 1996 to 2008 with the exception of 1999 and 2006.-Minor leagues:He was drafted 220th overall, in the eighth round of the draft by the New York Mets....
and Richie Lewis
Richie Lewis
Richie Todd Lewis is a former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from to for the Baltimore Orioles, Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, Oakland Athletics and Cincinnati Reds. He attended Southside High School in Muncie, where his father was the coach for many years...
to the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
for Sean Bergman
Sean Bergman
Sean Frederick Bergman is a former right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, and Minnesota Twins between and...
, Todd Steverson
Todd Steverson
Todd Anthony Steverson is a former right-handed left and right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres...
and Cade Gaspar
Cade Gaspar
Cade Gaspar is a retired American professional baseball pitcher and the son of former outfielder Rod Gaspar. A right-hander, he was 6'3" tall but weighed only 175 pounds...
, a minor leaguer.
Detroit Tigers
His 1996 season undoubtedly the best of his career, but overall not a great season. He played in 120 games with Detroit that season, hitting 24 home runs and driving in 60 RBI. His batting average was only .246, though, and he struck out 158 times in 431 at bats. Perhaps the most memorable game of his 1996 season was on April 6-against the Oakland AthleticsOakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
, he collected two doubles, a triple and a home run. Twice in 1996 he also accomplished the fairly rare feat of hitting home runs from both sides of the plate in a game. The first time he did it was against the 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...
on July 15-he victimized pitchers Ricky Bones
Ricky Bones
Ricardo "Ricky" Bones is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who had a 10-year career from 1991 to 2001. He played for three National League teams - the San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, and Florida Marlins - and four American League teams - the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, New York...
and Mike Potts
Mike Potts (baseball)
Michael Larry Potts is a former left-handed Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1996. He was 5'9" tall and he weighed 179 pounds....
in that game. The next time he did it was on August 20. against the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
. In that game, he victimized pitchers Kevin Tapani
Kevin Tapani
Kevin Ray Tapani is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, and Chicago Cubs from 1989 to 2001.-Early life:...
and Rich Sauveur
Rich Sauveur
Richard Daniel Sauveur is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He played during six seasons at the major league level for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Montreal Expos, New York Mets, Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, and Oakland Athletics. He was drafted by the Pirates in the 5th round of the...
. Oddly, those were the only two games in his career in which he hit two or more home runs.
Although he hit 20 home runs in 1997 for Detroit, his batting average again was subpar at .228, and he struck out 157 times in 359 at-bats. His 158 strikeouts in 1996 and 157 strikeouts in 1997 were second most by a batter each year, trailing only Jay Buhner
Jay Buhner
Jay Campbell Buhner , nicknamed "Bone", is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He was among the most recognizable players of his day, noted for his shaved head, thick goatee, and patch of pine tar on the right hip of his uniform...
each year.
Cincinnati Reds
On November 11, 1997, he was traded from the Tigers to the Cincinnati RedsCincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
for Paul Bako
Paul Bako
Gabor Paul Bako II is a catcher in Major League Baseball who is currently a free agent. Bako is an example of a baseball "journeyman", having played for 11 different major league teams during his 12-year career...
and Donne Wall
Donne Wall
Donnell Lee Wall , is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues primarily in relief from 1995-2002....
. Although he played 15 games and hit .283 in the minors with the Indianapolis Indians
Indianapolis Indians
The Indianapolis Indians are a minor league baseball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates major-league club. The Indians play at Victory Field, located in downtown Indianapolis...
in 1998, he spent most of the season as a bench player, getting 119 at-bats in 83 games. He hit .252 in that time. That would be the last of the majors he would see, playing his final game on September 14 of that year. He finished his big league career on a ten at-bat long hitless streak.
Minor leagues and overseas
Although his big league career was over, his professional career was far from it. In 1999, he signed with the NPB's Fukuoka Daiei HawksFukuoka SoftBank Hawks
The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...
. From that point on, he played affiliated, foreign and independent baseball. In addition to Japan, Nieves has spent time in Mexico, the Atlantic League
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, independent baseball organization located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of the Northeast megalopolis. It operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League...
, and the Northern League, just to name a few locations. Most recently, he spent with the Vaqueros Laguna
Vaqueros Laguna
The Vaqueros Laguna are a AAA-level baseball team playing in the Mexican League.- History :The team was established in 1940 under the name Algodoneros de Unión Laguna. It did not take long for their first league pennant since in 1942 under the command of Martin Dihigo they won both the Zona Norte...
of the Mexican League.
Career overview
Overall, he hit .231 with 63 home runs and 187 RBI in the majors. He played in 458 games, collected 284 hits, walked 136 times and struck out 483 times. The numbers he wore in his career were 7 (1992), 10 (1993), 3 (1994–1995), 30 (1996–1997) and 46 (1998).Personal life
Melvin is the older brother of Wil NievesWil Nieves
Wilbert Nieves is a Puerto Rican professional baseball catcher of Major League Baseball and is currently a free agent.-Career:...
and nephew of José Morales. At last check, he lived in Southern Pines, North Carolina
Southern Pines, North Carolina
Southern Pines is a town in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 10,918 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Southern Pines is located at ....
.