Ronald Harris Jackson (October 22, 1933 – July 6, 2008) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

player and backup

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

who appeared in 196 games over all or part of seven years (1954–1960) for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

and

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

. Listed as tall and , he batted and threw right-handed. The native of

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...

, was an alumnus of

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

. On June 15, 1954, amateur free agent Jackson signed a bonus contract with the White Sox that compelled him to remain on the major-league roster for two full seasons. He appeared in 80 total games in –, 45 of them as the starting first baseman, and hit six

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

. But he batted only a cumulative .214, and in , his first year of eligibility to play in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...

, he got into 82 games for the top-level

Vancouver Mounties The Vancouver Mounties were a high-level minor league baseball club based in Vancouver, British Columbia, that played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) from 1956– 62 and – 69. Its home field was Capilano Stadium. During the Mounties' first tw ...

and hit .304. Then, the following season, he was selected the All-Star first baseman of the Triple-A

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

on the strength of his solid offensive season. He had short stints—22 and 13 games—with the ChiSox during 1956 and . Jackson saw his most sustained

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

action in . Remaining on the White Sox' roster all year, he appeared in 61 games and started 35 at first base, but he batted only .233 with seven home runs. Then, in , he got into only ten games for the eventual American League champions, and spent most of the year at Triple-A. After leading the American Association in home runs (30) and

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

(99), he attracted the attention of the second-division Red Sox, who were seeking right-handed power to take advantage of

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Base ...

's cozy left field dimensions.Nowlin, Bill, ''Ron Jackson,''

Society for American Baseball Research The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a membership organization dedicated to fostering the research and dissemination of the history and record of baseball primarily through the use of statistics. Established in Cooperstown, New ...

Biography Project But, in , playing behind left-handed-swinging veteran

Vic Wertz Victor Woodrow Wertz (February 9, 1925 – July 7, 1983) was an American professional baseball first baseman and outfielder. He had a 17-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career from 1947 to 1963. He played for the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Brown ...

, Jackson appeared in only ten early-season games, with two

extra-base hit In baseball, an extra-base hit (EB, EBH or XBH), also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire anot ...

s, both doubles. At the cutdown date, May 17, Boston traded him to the Milwaukee Braves for veteran Ray Boone, who had been part of the first-base platoon in Chicago in 1958. The Braves assigned Jackson to the American Association, and he never again played in the majors, retiring after the 1961 campaign. In his seven-season MLB career, Jackson was a .245 hitter (116–for–474) with 17

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 52 RBI, including 54 runs, 18 doubles, one

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * ...

, and six

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

s. In 148 games at first base, he recorded 1,054

outs In baseball, an out occurs when the umpire rules a batter or baserunner out. When a batter or runner is out, they lose their ability to score a run and must return to the dugout until their next turn at bat. When three outs are recorded in a ha ...

and 56

assist Assist or ASSIST may refer to: Sports Several sports have a statistic known as an "assist", generally relating to action by a player leading to a score by another player on their team: *Assist (basketball), a pass by a player that facilitates a ba ...

s while committing nine errors for a .992

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

. Ron Jackson owned and operated his own insurance company in Kalamazoo after retiring from baseball. He died at age 74 in his native city on July 6, 2008.

Transactions

*1954, Signed by the Chicago White Sox out of the

('' bonus baby''). *1959, Traded by Chicago to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Frank Baumann. *1960, Traded by Boston to the Milwaukee Braves in exchange for Ray Boone (Jackson did not play for them).

References

External links

* 1933 births 2008 deaths Baseball players from Michigan Boston Red Sox players Chicago White Sox players Indianapolis Indians players Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Major League Baseball first basemen Sportspeople from Kalamazoo, Michigan Vancouver Mounties players Western Michigan Broncos baseball players Western Michigan University alumni {{US-baseball-first-baseman-stub