Nelson Elmer Mathews (born July 21, 1941) is a retired American professional baseball outfielder who appeared in the Major Leagues (MLB) from 1960 to 1965 for the Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Athletics.

Mathews threw and batted right-handed, stood 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall and weighed 195 pounds (88 kg).

Mathews and made his major league debut with the Cubs on September 9, 1960, against the future world champion Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field.

Mathews started 154 games in center and hit 14 home runs, but he led the American League in strikeouts (143) and batted only .239.

He began 1965 with Kansas City and got into 67 total games, with 47 outfield starts, but he batted a weak .212 and was sent to Triple-A Vancouver in July.