Fielder Jones
{{Short description|American baseball player and manager (1871–1934)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Fielder Jones
|image=Fielder Jones 1914.jpg
|width=250px
|caption=Jones in 1914
|position=Center fielder / Manager
|birth_date={{birth date|1871|8|13}}
|birth_place=Shinglehouse, Pennsylvania, U.S.
|death_date={{Death date and age|1934|3|13|1871|8|13}}
|death_place=Portland, Oregon, U.S.
|bats=Left
|throws=Right
|debutleague=MLB
|debutdate=April 18
|debutyear=1896
|debutteam=Brooklyn Bridegrooms
|finalleague=MLB
|finaldate=September 1
|finalyear=1915
|finalteam=St. Louis Terriers
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=Batting average
|stat1value=.285
|stat2label=Home runs
|stat2value=21
|stat3label=Runs batted in
|stat3value=631
|stat4label=Managerial record
|stat4value=683–582
|stat5label=Winning %
|stat5value={{winpct|683|582}}
|teams=
As player
- Brooklyn Bridegrooms / Superbas ({{baseball year|1896}}–{{baseball year|1900}})
- Chicago White Sox ({{baseball year|1901}}–{{baseball year|1908}})
- St. Louis Terriers ({{baseball year|1914}}–{{baseball year|1915}})
As manager
- Chicago White Sox ({{baseball year|1904}}–{{baseball year|1908}})
- St. Louis Terriers ({{baseball year|1914}}–{{baseball year|1915}})
- St. Louis Browns ({{baseball year|1916}}–{{baseball year|1918}})
|highlights=
- World Series champion ({{wsy|1906}})
}}
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
Born in Shinglehouse, Pennsylvania to a father who owned a general store, Jones learned to play baseball at his preparatory school at Alfred University.{{cite web |last1=Larson |first1=David |title=Fielder Jones |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/fielder-jones/ |publisher=Society for American Baseball Research |access-date=23 August 2022}} As a young man, Jones worked as a surveyor with his brother and ventured to the Pacific Northwest by 1891.
Playing career
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.{{cite news|title=Fielder Jones, famous pilot of "Hitless Wonders" of 1906, dies|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1243&dat=19340314&id=3-EsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VCEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1536,12657&hl=en|access-date=July 21, 2016|work=The Bulletin|agency=United Press|date=March 14, 1934}} He played minor league ball in Binghamton, New York, and Springfield, Massachusetts, where he was an accomplished hitter.
Jones's major league playing career began with the Brooklyn Bridegrooms in 1896. In {{Baseball year|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.Adomites, Paul; et al. (eds.) (2007). The Love of Baseball. Lincolnwood, Illinois: Publications International, Ltd. {{ISBN|978-1-4127-1131-9}}. 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,{{cite web|url=https://baseballhistorydaily.com/tag/chehalis-gophers/|title=Chehalis Gophers |website=Baseball History Daily}} Jones batted .358 to win the Washington State League batting title.{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball |editor-first1=Lloyd |editor-last1=Johnson |editor-first2=Miles |editor-last2=Wolff |edition=Third |publisher=Baseball America |date=2007 |isbn=978-1932391176}} 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
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.{{cite web|url=http://osubeavers.nmnathletics.com//pdf7/28026.pdf?SPSID=38155&SPID=1962&DB_OEM_ID=4700 |title=2006 Oregon State Baseball Guide |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303180130/http://osubeavers.nmnathletics.com//pdf7/28026.pdf?SPSID=38155&SPID=1962&DB_OEM_ID=4700 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |url-status=dead |website=osubeavers.nmnathletics.com |page=2}}
Career statistics
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
Jones died of heart disease in Portland, Oregon, at age 62.{{cite news|title=Baseball immortal, Fielder Jones dies|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=110&dat=19340314&id=FnROAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gUADAAAAIBAJ&pg=5954,2389729|access-date=22 July 2016|work=Ludington Daily News|agency=Associated Press|date=March 14, 1934}}
Managerial record
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;" | ||||||||||
| rowspan="2"|Team | rowspan="2"|Year | colspan="5"|Regular season | colspan="4"|Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| CWS|| {{mlby|1904}}
||113||66||47||{{Winning percentage|66|47}}|| 3rd in AL || – || – || – || – | ||||||||||
| CWS|| {{mlby|1905}}
||152||92||60||{{Winning percentage|92|60}}|| 2nd in AL || – || – || – || – | ||||||||||
| style="background:#FDE910;"
!CWS | {{mlby|1906}} | 151 | 93 | 58 | {{Winning percentage|93|58}} | 1st in AL | 4 | 2 | .667 | Won World Series (CHC) |
| CWS|| {{mlby|1907}}
||151||87||64||{{Winning percentage|87|64}}|| 3rd in AL || – || – || – || – | ||||||||||
| CWS|| {{mlby|1908}}
||152||88||64||{{Winning percentage|88|64}}|| 3rd in AL || – || – || – || – | ||||||||||
| colspan="2"|CWS total || 719 || 426 || 293 || {{Winning percentage|426|293}} || || 4 || 2 || .667 || | ||||||||||
| SLT|| {{mlby|1914}}
||38||12||26||{{Winning percentage|12|26}}|| 8th in FL || – || – || – || – | ||||||||||
| SLT|| {{mlby|1915}}
||154||87||67||{{Winning percentage|87|67}}|| 2nd in FL || – || – || – || – | ||||||||||
| colspan="2"|SLT total || 192 || 99 || 93 || {{Winning percentage|99|93}} || || 0 || 0 || – || | ||||||||||
| SLB|| {{mlby|1916}}
||154||79||75||{{Winning percentage|79|75}}|| 5th in AL || – || – || – || – | ||||||||||
| SLB|| {{mlby|1917}}
||154||57||97||{{Winning percentage|57|97}}|| 7th in AL || – || – || – || – | ||||||||||
| SLB|| {{mlby|1918}}
||46||22||24||{{Winning percentage|22|24}}|| fired || – || – || – || – | ||||||||||
| colspan="2"|SLB total || 354 || 158 || 196 || {{Winning percentage|158|196}} || || 0 || 0 || – || | ||||||||||
| colspan="2"|Total || 1264 || 683 || 582 || {{Winning percentage|683|582}} || || 4 || 2 || .667 || |
See also
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Baseballstats|br=j/jonesfi01|brm=jones-001fie}}
- {{Find a Grave}}
{{1899 Brooklyn Superbas}}
{{1900 Brooklyn Superbas}}
{{1901 Chicago White Sox}}
{{1906 Chicago White Sox}}
{{Chicago White Sox managers}}
{{St. Louis Browns managers}}
{{BeaversBaseballCoach}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Fielder}}
Category:19th-century baseball players
Category:19th-century American sportsmen
Category:Major League Baseball center fielders
Category:Baseball players from Potter County, Pennsylvania
Category:Brooklyn Bridegrooms players
Category:Brooklyn Superbas players
Category:Burials at Portland Memorial Mausoleum
Category:Chicago White Sox players
Category:St. Louis Terriers players
Category:20th-century American sportsmen
Category:Major League Baseball player-managers
Category:Chicago White Sox managers
Category:St. Louis Terriers managers
Category:St. Louis Browns managers
Category:Minor league baseball managers
Category:Binghamton Bingoes players
Category:Allentown Buffaloes players
Category:Hartford Bluebirds players
Category:Chehalis Gophers players