Counting Down the 100 Greatest Colorado Rockies: 100. David Nied

Opening Day is April 3 against the Brewers and it can’t come soon enough. To help cope with the pain of a baseball free life, Rox Pile will be counting down the 100 greatest Colorado Rockies in franchise history.

This list isn’t completely arbitrary but it does not rely strictly on numbers. Other factors will include major contributions, team culture, fan appreciation and overall importance to the club. This order is in no way definitive. It is meant to spark conversation. Let us know your thoughts at @RoxpileFS on Twitter. Let the countdown begin! Let baseball start soon.

100. David Nied

Why would you start this list with a pitcher? Why would you start this list with a pitcher who went 17-18 in his career with a 5.06 career ERA in just 241.2 career innings? This list starts with David Nied because when asked who was the first pitcher to do just about anything for the Rockies, the answer is David Nied. The Atlanta Braves originally drafted the right-hander in1987 draft. In 1993 he was ranked by Baseball America as the 23rd best prospect right after the great Johnny Damon.

That ranking seemed well earned after debuting in six games with the Braves that year winning three of them and losing none with a 1.17 ERA. The 1992 MLB expansion draft might have just derailed any chance Nied would have at long-term success. Once the league added the Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies as expansion teams, those clubs could draft a player from each team, sans 15 that each team can protect. The Rockies took advantage and drafted him from the Braves with the number one overall pick. Therefore, effectively losing the opportunity to be a part of incredible 90s Braves teams, who won it all in 1995, and learning from the likes of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz. Not to mention that he was the first guinea pig that is the ever-evolving science experiment that is pitching at a mile high.

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Being the first overall pick was not the only first for Nied. He was the first Major League player to be in Denver. He pitched in first game ever against the New York Mets subsequently earning the franchise’s first loss. He recorded the first strikeout, first walk, first complete game and first complete game shutout.

Nied wasn’t remarkable in his first season with the Rockies going 5-9 with a 5.17 ERA. He had the best full season the next year in 1994 going 9-7 improving also with a 4.80 ERA. The potential was there but an elbow injury set him back. After that strike-shortened season, Nied didn’t win another game after only pitching 9.2 innings in the 1995 and 1996 seasons. He had the chance to join the Cincinnati Reds after he was let go to free agency but he never took the chance.

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His career WAR of 3.0 isn’t remarkable but it certainly isn’t the worst in franchise history. Imagine being the first professional pitcher ever in Denver. Retrospectively, Nied never had a shot. He deserves recognition for blazing a trail and giving a barometer for Rockies pitchers. That alone deserves a spot in the franchise’s best.