Outfielder, Boston
Red Sox
Age: 31
5th season
with Red Sox
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 5’11” Weight: 190
Prior to 1958:
A San Francisco
native, Jensen starred in baseball and football at Oakland Technical High
School. He enlisted in the Navy after graduation in 1945 and was discharged the
following year. Entering the Univ. of California, Jensen again played both
football and baseball with distinction. As a fullback on the football team, he
was a consensus first-team All-American in 1948, as California went undefeated
to top the Pacific Coast Conference but lost the Rose Bowl to Northwestern. An
equally fine pitcher and outfielder on the baseball team he was a key figure on
California’s College World Series-winning squad in 1947. Signing with the
Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League for $75,000 in 1949, he batted .261
with 9 home runs and 77 RBIs while appearing in 125 games. After the season, in
a highly publicized wedding, he married Zoe Ann Olsen, an Olympic silver medal
diver. The Oaks sold Jensen’s contract to the New York Yankees, where it was
anticipated that he would be the successor to aging star center fielder Joe
DiMaggio. Utilized as a pinch hitter and reserve outfielder in 1950, the blond-haired
“Golden Boy” appeared in 45 games and hit .171 with a home run and 5 RBIs.
Jensen started off better at the plate for the Yankees in 1951 but was sent
down to the Kansas City Blues of the Class AAA American Association at the end
of July, where he batted .263 in 42 games with 9 home runs and 26 RBIs before
returning to New York in September. He hit .298 over the course of 56 games for
the Yankees with 8 home runs and 25 RBIs and found himself in a battle with
rookie Mickey Mantle for playing time in the outfield. Jensen started the 1952
season in center field with Mantle in right, but off to a slow start at the
plate, he was traded to the Washington Senators in May along with three other
players for outfielder Irv Noren. Inserted into right field with the Senators,
he earned an All-Star selection and went on to hit .280 in his breakout season
with 10 home runs and 82 RBIs. Jensen followed up in 1953 by batting .266 with
32 doubles, 8 triples, 10 home runs, 84 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases. In the offseason
he was dealt to the Red Sox where he primarily played in center field in 1954. Hindered
by spacious Griffith Stadium in Washington, Jensen began to achieve his power
potential with Boston, belting 25 home runs in ’54 along with 25 doubles and 7
triples while hitting .276 with 117 RBIs. He also led the AL with 22 stolen
bases. Returning to right field in 1955, he hit .275 with 26 home runs and a
league-leading 116 RBIs. An All-Star for the second time, he also finished
tenth in league MVP voting. Jensen had another strong season in 1956, batting
.315 with 23 doubles, a league-leading 11 triples, 20 home runs, and 97 RBIs,
and was a solid member of an outstanding outfield that included Ted Williams in
left and Jim Piersall in center field. The fine performance continued in 1957
as he hit .281 with 23 home runs and 103 RBIs.
1958 Season Summary
Appeared in 154
games
RF – 153, LF – 2,
PH – 1
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 654 [5, tied with Mickey Mantle]
At Bats – 548 [14]
Runs – 83 [11]
Hits – 157 [11,
tied with Bob Cerv]
Doubles – 31
[5]
Triples – 0
Home Runs – 35
[5]
RBI – 122 [1]
Bases on Balls
– 99 [2]
Int. BB – 7 [5]
Strikeouts – 65
[16, tied with Gus Triandos]
Stolen Bases – 9
[9]
Caught Stealing
– 4 [15, tied with nine others]
Average - .286
[14]
OBP - .396 [5]
Slugging Pct. -
.535 [6]
Total Bases – 293
[5]
GDP – 13
Hit by Pitches
– 3 [20, tied with eleven others]
Sac Hits – 1
Sac Flies – 4
League-leading RBIs
were +9 ahead of runner-up Rocky Colavito
Midseason
snapshot: HR – 24, RBI – 68, AVG – .311, SLG PCT – .640
---
Most hits, game
– 4 (in 5 AB) vs. Baltimore 5/18
Longest hitting
streak – 17 games
HR at home – 17
HR on road – 18
Most home runs,
game – 2 (in 4 AB) vs. Chi. White Sox 6/8 – 10 innings, (in 5 AB) at Detroit
6/28 – 12 innings
Multi-HR games
– 2
Most RBIs, game
– 5 at Washington 5/13
Pinch-hitting –
0 of 1 (.000)
Fielding
Chances – 313
Put Outs – 293
Assists – 14
Errors – 6
DP – 3
Pct. - .981
Awards & Honors:
AL MVP: BBWAA
All-Star (started
for AL in RF)
Top 5 in AL MVP
Voting:
Jackie Jensen,
Bos.: 233 pts. - 9 of 24 first place votes, 69% share
Bob Turley, NYY:
191 pts. – 7 first place votes, 57% share
Rocky Colavito,
Clev.: 181 pts. – 4 first place votes, 54% share
Bob Cerv, KCA: 164
pts. – 3 first place votes, 49% share
Mickey Mantle,
NYY: 127 pts. – 38% share
(1 first place
vote for Nellie Fox, ChiWS., who ranked eighth)
---
Red Sox went 79-75 to finish third in the AL, 13 games behind the
pennant-winning New York Yankees, while leading the league in doubles (229,
tied with Detroit), walks drawn (638), batter strikeouts (820), and on-base
percentage (.338).
Aftermath of ‘58:
Jensen again
led the AL in RBIs in 1959 with 112 to go with 28 home runs and a .277 batting
average. He ranked tenth in league MVP balloting and won a Gold Glove for his
outfield play. In the offseason he announced his retirement while still
apparently in his prime at the age of 32. While news reports indicated that his
well-established fear of flying was the culprit in his premature exit from the
game, family considerations played the more significant role. He
returned to the Red Sox in 1961, a step slower and less adept in the field, and
hit .263 with 13 home runs and 66 RBIs, after which he retired for good.
Overall, Jensen batted .279 in his major league career with 1463 hits, 259
doubles, 45 triples, 199 home runs, 929 RBIs, and 143 stolen bases. With the
Red Sox his batting production was a .282 average with 1089 hits, 187 doubles,
28 triples, 170 home runs, 733 RBIs, and 95 stolen bases. He led the AL in RBIs
three times and was a three-time All-Star. Following his playing career, Jensen
became a color commentator on college football telecasts and later returned to
the Univ. of California as baseball coach. He was inducted into the College
Football Hall of Fame in 1984, two years after his death at age 55, and was
inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2000.
--
MVP Profiles feature players in the National or
American leagues who were winners of the Chalmers Award (1911-14), League Award
(1922-29), or Baseball Writers’ Association of America Award (1931 to present)
as Most Valuable Player.
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