1993 Topps, David Nied

#444 David Nied

Last week, I had the first ever Marlin on here. Well, here is the very first Rocky. David was the first pick in the 1992 expansion draft. He was taken from the Braves after having a real good season in AAA and a great, though short, stint in Atlanta.

He made the Rockies roster out of Spring Training and got the nod on Opening Day, where he took a loss against the Mets. He made fifteen more starts for the Rockies that year and finished with a 5-9 record and a 5.17 ERA. The next season was a little better when he went 9-7 with a 4.80 ERA. He then started to have arm problems, and that was the beginning of the end for him. The following year, he made nine appearances in three minor league levels and only made two relief appearances for the Rockies. In 1996, he only pitched at two minor league stops and got into six games with the Rockies, one of which was a start. He posted a 13.51 ERA in 5.1 innings pitched. That was his last season in baseball.

I got this card through the mail, probably in the Rockies inaugural season of 1993. I love the posed shot on here. There is nothing like getting the pitcher in mid-windup without his glove on.