David Green (baseball)
A lightning-fast outfielder from Nicaragua whose powerful swing electrified St. Louis Cardinals fans in the early 1980s.
Born 1960 (age 66)·Nicaraguan baseball player·Birthday: December 4·Baby Boomers
Biography
David Green's journey from the sandlots of Nicaragua to the major league stadiums of America was a testament to raw talent and explosive potential. Born in 1960, he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals as a teenager, quickly becoming one of their most promising prospects. His major league debut in 1981 was met with excitement; he possessed a rare combination of speed and power, patrolling the outfield with athletic grace and swinging a bat that promised towering home runs. While his time in the majors was punctuated by flashes of brilliance over parts of six seasons, primarily with the Cardinals and a stint with the San Francisco Giants, his career was a comet—bright, captivating, but ultimately shortened. He remained a significant figure in Nicaraguan baseball history, remembered as a pioneer who inspired a generation of players back home with his big-league dreams made real.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
David was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When David Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
David's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 60
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 66 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Played Major League Baseball for six seasons, primarily as a key outfielder and first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals.
- Was a highly-touted prospect in the Cardinals' farm system, known for his powerful hitting and defensive versatility.
- Represented Nicaragua as one of the country's notable exports to the highest level of professional baseball in the 1980s.
Did You Know?
He was originally signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent in 1976.
His son, David Green Jr., was also a professional baseball player in the minor leagues.
He passed away in 2022 in his native Nicaragua.
“You have to swing hard at the fastball, or you'll never catch up to it.”
