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Fielder Jones

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Fielder Jones
Jones in 1914
Center fielder / Manager
Born: (1871-08-13)August 13, 1871
Shinglehouse, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died: March 13, 1934(1934-03-13) (aged 62)
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 18, 1896, for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms
Last MLB appearance
September 1, 1915, for the St. Louis Terriers
MLB statistics
Batting average.285
Home runs21
Runs batted in631
Managerial record683–582
Winning %.540
Teams
As player

As manager

Career highlights and awards

Fielder Allison Jones (August 13, 1871 – March 13, 1934) was an American center fielder and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was best known as the player-manager of the World Series champion 1906 Chicago White Sox, a team who succeeded in spite of such poor offense that they were known as the "Hitless Wonders".

Early life

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Born in Shinglehouse, Pennsylvania to a father who owned a general store, Jones learned to play baseball at his preparatory school at Alfred University.[1] As a young man, Jones worked as a surveyor with his brother and ventured to the Pacific Northwest by 1891.[1]

Playing career

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Jones entered professional baseball playing as an outfielder and catcher for Portland in the Oregon State League in 1891 or 1893, depending on the source.[2][1] He played minor league ball in Binghamton, New York, and Springfield, Massachusetts, where he was an accomplished hitter.[1]

Jones's major league playing career began with the Brooklyn Bridegrooms in 1896. In 1901, he joined the Chicago White Sox in the new American League. He was named player-manager in 1904 to replace Jimmy Callahan. Owner Charles Comiskey named Jones manager, desiring a strong-willed leader. The White Sox finished two games short of a pennant in 1905. Bolstered by a nineteen game winning streak, Jones managed the "Hitless Wonders" in the 1906 World Series, which was the White Sox' first World Series win. Playing in that World Series, he hit only .143 (3-for-21) but scored four runs and stole three bases. That year, the White Sox had a team batting average of only .230 while being third in runs.[3] The aging roster sputtered late in 1907 and then lost the pennant on the final day in 1908 to the same team in the Detroit Tigers. Jones quit the team after the season, citing burnout from having to deal with Comiskey.

In 1910, Jones came out of retirement to play for the Chehalis Gophers after the team's player/manager was reportedly stabbed by another member of the team. Playing for no salary, and with permission from Comiskey,[4] Jones batted .358 to win the Washington State League batting title.[5] Six years after his last game with the White Sox, he joined the St. Louis Terriers of the newly formed Federal League, where he served as a player-manager before the league folded. He had one last stint as a manager with the St. Louis Browns, but his earlier success with the White Sox eluded him, as his St. Louis teams never finished above fifth place.

Post career

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Jones moved to Portland, Oregon, investing in timber and became head coach for the Oregon State Beavers baseball team in 1910, going 13–4–1 and winning the Northwest championship.[6]

Career statistics

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In 1,788 major-league games over 15 seasons, Jones posted a .285 batting average (1,920-for-6,747) with 1,180 runs, 206 doubles, 75 triples, 21 home runs, 631 runs batted in, 359 stolen bases, 817 bases on balls, .368 on-base percentage and .347 slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .962 fielding percentage.

Later life

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Jones died of heart disease in Portland, Oregon, at age 62.[7]

Managerial record

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Team Year Regular season Postseason
Games Won Lost Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
CWS 1904 113 66 47 .584 3rd in AL – – – –
CWS 1905 152 92 60 .605 2nd in AL – – – –
CWS 1906 151 93 58 .616 1st in AL 4 2 .667 Won World Series (CHC)
CWS 1907 151 87 64 .576 3rd in AL – – – –
CWS 1908 152 88 64 .579 3rd in AL – – – –
CWS total 719 426 293 .592 4 2 .667
SLT 1914 38 12 26 .316 8th in FL – – – –
SLT 1915 154 87 67 .565 2nd in FL – – – –
SLT total 192 99 93 .516 0 0 –
SLB 1916 154 79 75 .513 5th in AL – – – –
SLB 1917 154 57 97 .370 7th in AL – – – –
SLB 1918 46 22 24 .478 fired – – – –
SLB total 354 158 196 .446 0 0 –
Total 1264 683 582 .540 4 2 .667

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Larson, David. "Fielder Jones". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  2. ^ "Fielder Jones, famous pilot of "Hitless Wonders" of 1906, dies". The Bulletin. United Press. March 14, 1934. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  3. ^ Adomites, Paul; et al. (eds.) (2007). The Love of Baseball. Lincolnwood, Illinois: Publications International, Ltd. ISBN 978-1-4127-1131-9.
  4. ^ "Chehalis Gophers". Baseball History Daily.
  5. ^ Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
  6. ^ "2006 Oregon State Baseball Guide" (PDF). osubeavers.nmnathletics.com. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016.
  7. ^ "Baseball immortal, Fielder Jones dies". Ludington Daily News. Associated Press. March 14, 1934. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
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