How nearly was Jerry (or Gerry, or Gerald) Nelson a member of the original Houston Colt 45s? In January of 1962, the would-be rookie right-hander was among a handful of players introduced to fans for the first time at a banquet. Nelson, who was out of baseball for over a year when signed in mid-1961, was there along with manager Harry Craft, catcher Hal Smith, infielders Norm Larker, Bob Aspromonte and Don Buddin, outfielder Al Spangler and fellow pitchers Turk Farrell and Jim Umbricht. Tal Smith rated he and Dave Giusti the best two right-handers in the farm system.
But he was returned to AAA for the 1962 season, won 37 games over the next three seasons for Oklahoma City, then retired at age 31 without ever getting a big-league inning -- even after going 14-8 in 1963.
