Nelson Norman's MLB Run Didn't End with 1981 Donruss

But Shane Rawley may haunt his dreams

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1981 Donruss Nelson Norman (#509) - Card of the Day

Once upon a time, Nelson Norman was on a beeline for a long Major League career.

Signed out of the Dominican Republic by the Pittsburgh Pirates at the tender age of 17 in 1975, the young shortstop clicked off minor league stops like they were runners at first base.

By the end of his third professional season, Norman was at Triple-A Columbus, ready to take the next step.

Problem was, the Pirates were already building a young core that would eventually turn into the 1979 “We Are Family” World Series champions, and they had speedy Frank Taveras at shortstop.

So … they shipped Norman to the Texas Rangers in December 1977 as part of a four-team swap that also involved Al Oliver and Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven.

Once with Texas, it didn’t take long for Norman to escape Triple-A Tucson in 1978, making his Major League debut on May 20.

But the Rangers were contenders, too, and that made the going tough for a light-hitting rookie, so Norman found himself back in the minors.

In 1979, though, new manager Pat Corrales installed the youngster as his starting shortstop, and Norman appeared in 147 games. Though he hit just .222, it was good enough to land a splendid action shot in the 1980 Topps set.

It wasn’t good enough to keep his job, though, and the 22-year-old spent most of 1980 back in the minors.

Even so, Donruss saw fit to include him in their inaugural set in 1981. They had a lot of real estate to fill, after all, with a 600-card checklist (605 if you include the actual checklist cards).

After more mostly-minors action with Texas, Norman apparently caught the eye of the Bucs again, who sent Victor Cruz to the Rangers to get their still-young infielder back in the fold.

Of course, that fold was mostly of the minor league variety, though Norman did make three appearances in the bigs with Pittsburgh that season.

But then … his Major League days were (nearly) done, and so were his baseball card appearances (outside of minor league sets).

Nelson didn’t give up, though, playing through a free agent signing with the Orioles and a trade to the Expos.

By 1987, Norman was a 29-year-old lifer playing at Triple-A Indianapolis when the Expos called him up for a single game in Philadelphia against the Phillies. Norman started at short, went 0-for-4 at the plate with a strikeout, and recorded one putout and one assist.

Then … it was back to the farm.

For good.

Nelson Norman played through the 1989 season, spending the rest of his professional days with the Indianapolis Indians, before embarking on a coaching and scouting career.

If you were a collector in the 1980s, you might have noticed Norman, just briefly, while you were building out your 1980 Topps or 1981 Donruss set.

But, though the man never made it into a wax pack again, he was still out there grinding, all decade long.

Today, Nelson Norman turns 66 years old.

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Nelson grounded out in his last big league at-bat against the Phillies Shane Rawley, who shutout the Expos on April 29, 1987.

Earlier in that game, Nelson committed the game’s only error, muffing a play at shortstop that allowed Milt Thompson to reach base, advancing Rawley, who had walked after a Luis Aguayo groundout.

Thompson was out when Juan Samuel hit into a fielder’s choice. After Von Hayes walked, Mike Schmidt singled home…Shane Rawley.

Here is the man who terrorized Norman’s last game in the majors from beginning to end (courtesy of 1988 Topps #66):

—

Considering that Norman played 75 games at Indy between 1988 and 1989, there’s a good chance I saw him in action. If so, I didn’t realize it at the time, and I don’t remember seeing him.

Which brings up a question…

Have you ever seen a player in person who didn’t make an impression on you, only to realize later that he was a Big Shot in some way or another?

You know, like watching Don Mattingly with the Yankees in 1982.

Or seeing Cecil Fielder with the Blue Jays in 1985.

Or, you know, seeing Nelson Norman at shortstop with the 1988 Indianapolis Indians.

Love to hear your stories!

Thanks for reading.

—Adam