Donell Nixon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Donell Nixon |
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: December 31, 1961 Evergreen, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 7, 1987, for the Seattle Mariners | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| July 1, 1990, for the Baltimore Orioles | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .275 | ||
| Home runs | 4 | ||
| Runs batted in | 35 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Robert Donell Nixon was born on December 31, 1961. He is a former professional baseball player from the United States. Donell Nixon played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) for parts of four seasons, from 1987 to 1990. He was known for playing all three outfield positions, but he was most often seen in center field.
Contents
Donell Nixon's Baseball Journey
Starting with the Mariners
Playing in the Minor Leagues
Donell Nixon was chosen by the Seattle Mariners in the 10th round of the 1980 MLB draft. He was still in high school at West Columbus High in North Carolina at the time. His professional baseball career began in 1981 with the Wausau Timbers. This team was in the Single-A Midwest League.
For the next two years, he mostly played at the Single-A level. In 1983, while playing for the Bakersfield Mariners, Nixon showed off his amazing speed. He stole 144 bases in just 135 games! This was almost a new minor league record. Another player, Vince Coleman, set the record of 145 stolen bases in the same year.
In 1984, Nixon moved up to the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts. He continued to be a star on the bases, stealing 102 more. However, in 1985, he had a serious injury. He broke his left leg, which slowed down his promising career. This injury kept him from playing for almost two years. But even after the injury, he was still very fast. He could run a 60-yard dash almost as quickly as before.
Making His Major League Debut
Even though he didn't play at all in 1985 and only played in 12 games in 1986, Nixon made the Mariners' team for Opening Day in 1987. He started the very first game of the season as the team's center fielder and leadoff hitter. He got on base twice by getting walks and stole one base.
Nixon kept starting games for the Mariners. He got his first hit in the fifth game of the season. It was a double that scored a run. On May 1, because his batting average was low, he was sent to the minor leagues. He played for the Triple-A Calgary Cannons, which was the Mariners' top farm team. He came back to the Mariners in July. He finished the season with a much better batting average of .250.
Nixon started the 1988 season with Calgary. He batted .281 in 40 games there. Then, on June 23, he was traded to the San Francisco Giants.
Playing for the Giants
The San Francisco Giants immediately added Nixon to their major league team. He played in 59 games for them for the rest of 1988. He had a great batting average of .348. He spent all of the 1989 season with the Giants. This was the only season in his career where he didn't play in the minor leagues at all.
Nixon also played in the postseason for the first and only time in 1989. He played in two games of the 1989 World Series against the Oakland Athletics. He got one hit in five tries during the series. After that season, the Giants let Nixon go at the end of spring training in 1990.
Time with the Orioles
Eight days after the Giants released him, Nixon signed with the Baltimore Orioles. He spent most of the 1990 season playing for the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings. However, he did play in eight games for the Orioles in late June and early July. After the season ended, Nixon became a free agent.
Final Years in Baseball
Donell Nixon spent the last three years of his playing career with the Cleveland Indians organization. However, he did not return to the major leagues during that time.
Personal Life
Donell Nixon is the younger brother of Otis Nixon. Otis Nixon was also a former MLB outfielder.
