James William Nettles (born March 2, 1947) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played all or part of six seasons in Major League Baseball, between 1970 and 1981, for the Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics. In 1975, he played for the Nankai Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball. Following his playing career, Nettles managed in the minor leagues from 1983 until 1996. He is the younger brother of Graig Nettles. Career Playing career Nettles attended Will C. Crawford High School in San Diego, California, and San Diego State University, where he played college baseball for the San Diego State Aztecs. He also played collegiate summer baseball for the Alaska Goldpanners of the Alaska Baseball League. The Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB) selected him in the fourth round of the 1968 MLB draft. Nettles signed with the Twins, receiving a $12,000 signing bonus, and had a .285 batting average for the St. Cloud Rox of the Class A Northern League. He spent much of 1969 in the military, hitting .262 in 21 games for the Charlotte Hornets of the Class AA Southern League. In 1970, he played for the Evansville Triplets of the Class AAA American Association and batted .318, leading the team. Following the conclusion of Evansville's 1970 season, the Twins promoted Nettles to the major leagues in September 1970. He played in 13 games for the Twins before the season ended, batting 5-for-20 (.250). Nettles began the 1971 season with the Portland Beavers of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League (PCL), and was promoted to the Twins to serve as a reserve outfielder and pinch hitter. He batted .270 with Portland and .250 with the Twins. He spent the entire 1972 season with Minnesota, but batted .204. In 1973, Nettles played for the Tacoma Twins of the PCL. After the 1973 season, the Twins traded Nettles to the Detroit Tigers for Paul Jata. The Tigers assigned Nettles to Evansville, now their Class AAA affiliate. He opened the 1974 season with Evansville, and was promoted to the major leagues in July 1974, due to an injury to Willie Horton. He batted .227 in 43 games for the Tigers, and the team outrighted Nettles off of their 40-man roster after the 1974 season. In 1975, Nettles played for the Nankai Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League. Nettles signed with the Cleveland Indians