Outfielder, Chicago
White Sox
6th season
with White Sox
Bats – Left,
Throws – Right
Height: 5’11” Weight: 180
Prior to 1906:
A native of the
Enchanted Mountains region of northwestern Pennsylvania, Jones attended prep
school at Alfred University where he played intramural baseball. Following
school he became a surveyor and eventually began playing baseball
professionally in Portland, Oregon. A fine athlete, he was a catcher and
outfielder for the Portland team in the Oregon State League in 1891. Having
returned east due to poor economic conditions, in 1895 he was with Binghamton of
the New York State League to start the season and, following the league’s
demise in July, was then signed by Springfield of the Eastern League where he
batted .399 in 50 games with 57 runs scored and 29 stolen bases. Drafted by
Brooklyn of the NL in the offseason, he was caught in a crowded outfield
situation in 1896 and was loaned to Hartford of the Atlantic League to give him
an opportunity for more playing time. An injury to a starting outfielder opened
a spot for Jones with Brooklyn and he made the most of the opportunity, batting
.354 with 82 runs scored, 10 doubles, 8 triples, 3 home runs, 46 RBIs, 18
stolen bases, a .427 on-base percentage, and a .443 slugging percentage. He
also proved to be a capable outfielder with a strong throwing arm. While his
average dropped to .314 in 1897, he scored 134 runs along with 15 doubles and
10 triples, 49 RBIs, 48 stolen bases, a .392 OBP, and a .383 slugging
percentage. In a difficult year for the club in 1898, Jones hit. .304 with 15
doubles, 9 triples, a home run, 69 RBIs, 36 stolen bases, a .362 OBP, and .364 slugging
percentage. Jones suffered a broken leg during the offseason that delayed his joining
the Superbas (as the team had come to be called) until two months into the 1899
season. The club won the NL pennant and over the course of 102 games Jones
batted .285 with 12 extra-base hits, 38 RBIs, 18 stolen bases, and a .390 OBP. Having
married in 1898, Jones began running a general store in Bolivar, New York
during the offseason. He proved to have a sound business sense and became a
critic of the player contracts of the time, particularly the reserve clause. After
threatening to retire from baseball, he went on to help the Superbas to another
pennant in 1900 by hitting .310 with 26 doubles, 4 triples, 4 home runs, 106
runs scored, 54 RBIs, 33 stolen bases, a .383 OBP, and a .393 slugging
percentage. As a player targeted by the new American League, he jumped to the
White Sox in 1901. Chicago won the initial AL pennant and Jones did his part by
batting .311 with 120 runs scored, 65 RBIs, 38 stolen bases, a .412 OBP, and a
.365 slugging percentage. In the outfield he accounted for 20 assists. The
assists increased to 25 in 1902 and he continued to provide solid offense by
hitting .321 with 98 runs scored, 16 doubles, 5 triples, 54 RBIs, 33 stolen
bases, a .390 OBP, and a .370 slugging percentage. Anticipating jumping back to
the NL and the New York Giants, Jones signed a contract with the White Sox in
1903 that did not contain the reserve clause. On a club that dropped to seventh
place, Jones batted .287 with 18 doubles, 5 triples, 45 RBIs, 21 stolen bases,
and a .348 OBP. Forced by the ruling National Commission to return to the White
Sox in 1904, during the season owner Charles Comiskey made him the club’s
manager. The White Sox’s performance improved and they finished a solid third
while Jones’ offensive production suffered, although he remained capable in
center field. His offense improved in 1905 as he hit .245 with 17 doubles, 12
triples, 2 home runs, 38 RBIs, and a .335 OBP. The White Sox finished in second
place. Still a fine all-around player, Jones had come to be recognized as an
intelligent and capable manager and motivator whose team used speed, quality
pitching, and daring to good effect.
1906 Season Summary
Appeared in 144
games
CF – 144
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate Appearances
– 619 [13]
At Bats – 496
Runs – 77 [11]
Hits – 114
Doubles – 22 [18,
tied with Tom Jones]
Triples – 4
Home Runs – 2 [15,
tied with nineteen others]
RBI – 34
Bases on Balls
– 83 [2]
Int. BB – N/A
Strikeouts – 37
Stolen Bases – 26
Caught Stealing
– N/A
Average - .230
OBP - .346 [11,
tied with Chick Stahl]
Slugging Pct. -
.302
Total Bases – 150
GDP – N/A
Hit by Pitches
– 5 [19, tied with seven others]
Sac Hits – 30
[6]
Sac Flies – N/A
Midseason
snapshot: 2B – 16, HR - 1, RBI - 22, SB – 14, AVG - .245, OBP – .338
---
Most hits, game
– 4 (in 5 AB) at Washington 5/18, (in 6 AB) at Cleveland 6/30
Longest hitting
streak – 8 games
Most HR, game –
1 (in 5 AB) at Washington 5/18, (in 3 AB) vs. NY Highlanders 9/22
HR at home – 1
HR on road – 1
Multi-HR games
– 0
Most RBIs, game
– 4 at Washington 5/18, at Cleveland 6/30
Pinch-hitting – No appearances
Fielding
Chances – 339
Put Outs – 312
Assists – 23
Errors – 4
DP – 5
Pct. – .988
Postseason
Batting: 6 G (World Series vs. Chi. Cubs)
PA – 26, AB – 21,
R – 4, H – 3, 2B – 0,3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 0, BB – 3, IBB – 0, SO – 3, SB – 0,
CS – N/A, AVG - .143, OBP - .250, SLG - .143, TB – 3, GDP – N/A, HBP – 0, SH – 2,
SF – N/A
---
The White Sox
went 93-58 to win the AL pennant by 3 games over the New York Highlanders while
leading the league in walks drawn (453) fewest hits (1133), fewest home runs
(7), fewest batting strikeouts (492), lowest batting average (.230), lowest
slugging percentage (.286), and fewest total bases (1410). The “Hitless
Wonders”, relying on pitching and defense while lacking offensive punch, proved
masterful at manufacturing runs by playing “small ball”. In fourth place in
early August, they put together a 19-game winning streak to move into first and
stayed at or near the top until taking over first place to stay on Sept. 25. Won
World Series over the Chicago Cubs, 4 games to 2. An 8-6 Game 5 win put the
White Sox in position to seal the upset of the Cubs in the only all-Chicago
World Series to date.
The White Sox,
still carried by their excellent pitching, finished third in 1907. Jones, given
a $10,000 contract, remained productive, batting .261 with 19 extra-base hits
(18 of them doubles) and a .345 OBP. The White Sox contended in 1908 until the
season’s final day despite the effects of age, injuries, and controversy.
Beyond an outstanding job of managing the club, Jones batted .253 with 92 runs
scored, 50 RBIs, 26 stolen bases, and a .366 OBP. He left the White Sox after
the season and returned to Portland, Oregon where he resisted efforts by owner
Comiskey to lure him back to Chicago. He helped to operate a hotel and served
as treasurer of the Class D Northwestern League. In 1910 he became baseball
coach at Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State University) and then
played for the Chehalis Gophers of the Washington State League where he batted
.358 during a season in which he turned 39. By 1912 he was president of the
Northwestern League. Turning down several offers from major league teams to return
to managing, he did manage the rival Federal League’s St. Louis Terriers in
1914 and ’15, with who he also made his last appearances as a player. With the
demise of the Federal League he returned to the AL and next managed the St.
Louis Browns with some initial success as he instilled a fighting spirit in the
club, but was faced by a player mutiny in 1917. He quit during the 1918 season
and returned to Portland where he died at age 62 in 1934. For his major league
playing career Jones batted .285 with 1920 hits that included 206 doubles, 75
triples, and 21 home runs. He scored 1180 runs and compiled 631 RBIs, 359
stolen bases, 817 walks drawn, a .368 OBP, and a .347 slugging percentage. With
the White Sox he batted .269 with 1151 hits, 693 runs scored, 132 doubles, 42
triples, 10 home runs, 375 RBIs, 206 stolen bases, 550 walks drawn, a .357 OBP,
and a .326 slugging percentage. The 1906 World Series marked his only
postseason action. His managerial record was 683-582 with one World Series
title. Jones was intelligent, a talented all-around player and manager,
principled, and greatly respected.
---
Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league
in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum
of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who
led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a
minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between
the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc.
players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the
postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.
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