#546 Jim Nash - Oakland Athletics

James Edwin Nash
Oakland Athletics
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'5"  Weight:  215
Born:  February 9, 1945, Hawthorne, NV
Signed:  Signed by the Kansas City Athletics as an amateur free agent, June 13, 1963
Major League Teams:  Kansas City Athletics 1966-67; Oakland Athletics 1968-69; Atlanta Braves 1970-1972; Philadelphia Phillies 1972

Jim Nash's best seasons in the majors came early in his career, as he won at least 12 games in four of the five years between 1966 and 1970.  Earning a promotion to the Athletics in July 1966, Nash joined a young, up and coming group of pitching prospects that included Catfish Hunter (#235) and Blue Moon Odom (#195).  He was 12-1 with a 2.06 ERA in 18 games (17 starts) in 1966, finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting behind Tommie Agee (#364).  His rookie season success landed him on the Topps All-Star Rookie team for 1966.  Nash would suffer through a sophomore slump in 1967, although he did grace the cover of the March 13, 1967 issue of Sports Illustrated.  He'd go 13-13 with a 2.28 ERA in 1968, making 33 starts and pitching a career-high 228 2/3 innings.

1972 Philadelphia Phillies Photocards

Shoulder soreness curtailed his career following the 1968 season, although he was a 13-game winner with the Braves in 1970.  Nash would pitch in the majors with the Braves and Phillies through the 1972 season, and after attempting a comeback with Oakland's Double-A team in 1973, he retired from baseball.  In 201 career games, Nash was 68-64 with a 3.58 ERA, 36 complete games and 11 shutouts.  He struck out 771 batters over 1,107 1/3 innings pitched.

Building the Set / Card #466
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.

Having had success the prior two shows at Uncle Dick's Cards with his well-organized, neon common binders, I opted to pull up a chair once again at the friendly dealer's array of tables.  The aim was simple:  Clear out Uncle Dick's 1969 Topps commons, starting off where I had left off the year before with card #501 and going through the end of the set, card #664.  In less than 25 minutes, I completed my quest, and this is the 22nd of 98 commons pulled from the binder.  After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost me less than a dollar.

The Card / Athletics Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

The photo for this card dates from spring training in 1968 or 1969, given the relatively new "A" now featured on the front of the Athletics' hats.  The sky was the limit for Nash when this card came out, and Topps touts his success in high school and his impressive numbers from 1968 on the back of the card.

Accuracy Index:  Nash's card earns a solid +5.

1969 Season
It would seem as if injuries shortened Nash's season in 1969, as he appeared in just 26 games and made 19 starts for the Athletics.  He was 8-8 with a 3.67 ERA in 115 1/3 innings pitched.  In his second start of the season, Nash threw a three-hit shutout against the Royals.

Phillies Career
On June 15, 1972, the Braves traded Nash and Gary Neibauer (#611) to the Phillies for Joe Hoerner (#522) and Andre Thornton.  Still battling shoulder ailments, Nash would pitch in only nine games for the Phillies, making eight starts in late June, July and September.  He'd miss the entire month of August.  In his final four starts with the Phillies, a team that would eventually lose 97 games, Nash was 0-4 with a 8.15 ERA in 17 2/3 innings pitched.  Overall with the club, he was 0-8 with a 6.27 ERA in 37 1/3 innings pitched.  (Neibauer would also only pitch in nine games with the Phillies.)

Nash started spring training with the Phillies in 1973, but was released on March 22nd.  He'd go back to his original team, the Athletics, making seven starts for the Birmingham A's before retiring from baseball.  For his efforts with the Phillies, Topps attempted to airbrush him into red pinstripes for his 1973 Topps card.

1967 Topps #90

1968 Topps #324

1971 Topps #306

1972 Topps #401

1973 Topps #509

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1967 Topps #90
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1967-73
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1973 Topps #509
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  33 in the Beckett online database as of 2/17/25.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

The Phillies Room

#545 Willie Stargell - Pittsburgh Pirates / #547 Billy Martin MG - Minnesota Twins