Jonathan Nelson, a native of Fairhope, AL, enters his fourteenth season as the Barons' General Manager and 26th in professional baseball. His career with the Barons began in 1993 with an internship that led to a full-time position in Group Sales. In 1997, Nelson worked in the ticket sales department for the Detroit Tigers baseball club. Jonathan returned to the Barons in 1998 and served as their Assistant General Manager for seven seasons before his promotion to General Manager. Prior to his baseball career, he interned with the Birmingham Bulls hockey club during their 1992-93 season.
Nelson graduated from the University of Montevallo in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Speech. At Montevallo he was a member of the fraternity Pi Kappa Alpha and served as it's President in 1992. In February 2005, he received the Nathalie Molton Gibbons Young Achievers Award that recognizes a Montevallo Alum under the age of 35 who has contributed to society through their career. In 2010 the Birmingham Business Journal listed Nelson in the "Top 40 Under 40," recognizing business professionals under the age of 40 in the Birmingham business community. Nelson was named the Jimmy Bragan Southern League Executive of the Year Award recipient in 2009, 2013 and 2016. Jonathan was in the Leadership Vestavia Hills 2011 class and also Leadership Birmingham's 2017 class. During Nelson's tenure the Barons organization was named Baseball America's 2008 AA Bob Frietas Award winner and the Don Mincher Southern League Organization of the Year in 2013 and 2016. Nelson was also involved in the relocation and design of Regions Field which opened in 2013.
Nelson is a member of the Southern League's Board of Directors and serves on the League's Rules and Competition as well as on the Hall of Fame committee. He manages the Barons' day to day operations and is involved with the Autism Society of Alabama, American Cancer Society's Real Men Wear Pink campaign, Knights of Columbus and American Baseball Foundation. He and his wife, Christy, reside in Vestavia Hills with their son Jonathan Jr. (18), daughter, Sophia (14) and are members of Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church.