Thomas Jones (June 21, 1874 – June 19, 1923) was an American

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

player. He played professional baseball, principally as a

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 ...

, from 1902 to 1915, including eight years in

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), ...

with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

(1902),

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

(1904–1909), and

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

(1909–1910). He compiled a .251 career

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

in 813 major league games. He was one of the best defensive first basemen of his era. He led all

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

players, regardless of position, with 487 outs made in 1904 and 1,616

putout In baseball statistics, a putout (denoted by ''PO'' or ''fly out'' when appropriate) is awarded to a defensive player who (generally while in secure possession of the ball) records an out by one of the following methods: * Tagging a runner wit ...

s in 1908. Among the league's first basemen, he ranked second in

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 for six consecutive years from 1904 to 1909, led in range factor in 1904 (11.46) and 1905 (11.90), and also led with 79

double play In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. In Major Leag ...

s in 1908. His career range factor of 11.20 ranks third all-time in major league history.

Early years

Jones was born in

Honesdale, Pennsylvania Honesdale is a borough in and the county seat of Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough's population was 4,458 at the time of the 2020 census. Honesdale is located northeast of Scranton in a rural area that provides many recrea ...

, in 1874.

Professional baseball

Jones made his major league debut on August 25, 1902, with the

. He appeared in 37 games for the Orioles and compiled a .283

. After the 1902 season, the Orioles moved to New York and became the Yankees. Jones remained in Baltimore with the newly formed

minor league club of 1903. Jones appeared in 127 games at first and second base and compiled a .335 batting average with 103 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. In September 1903, Jones was drafted by the

. He played six seasons for the Browns from 1904 to 1909 and became known as one of the best defensive first basemen in baseball. He led all American League players, regardless of position, with 487 outs made in 1904 and 1,616 putouts in 1908. He ranked second in putouts in 1904, 1905, 1907, and 1910. Among the league's first basemen, he ranked second in assists for six consecutive years from 1904 to 1909, led in range factor in 1904 (11.46) and 1905 (11.90), and also led with 79 double plays in 1908. His career range factor of 11.20 ranks third all-time in major league history behind

Jiggs Donahue John Augustine Donahue (July 13, 1879 – July 19, 1913) was an American Major League Baseball first baseman and catcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers / Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Browns, Chicago White Sox an ...

and

Frank Isbell William Frank Isbell (August 21, 1875 – July 15, 1941) was a Major League first baseman, second baseman, and outfielder in the 1910s. Career Born in Delevan, New York, Isbell was nicknamed Bald Eagle due to his receding hairline, something ...

. He also led the American League with 40 sacrifice hits in 1906. On August 20, 1909, the Browns traded Jones to the

in exchange for

Claude Rossman Claude R. Rossman (June 17, 1881 – January 16, 1928) was an American baseball player. He played professional baseball for 12 years from 1903 to 1914, principally as first baseman, including five years in Major League Baseball with the Cleveland ...

. He appeared in 44 games for the 1909 Tigers and also appeared in all seven games of the

1909 World Series The 1909 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1909 season. The sixth edition of the World Series, it featured the National League champion Pittsburgh Pirates against the American League champion Detroit Tiger ...

against the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

. In 1910, Jones concluded his major league career with the Tigers, compiling a .255 batting average in 135 games. Over the course of eight major league seasons, Jones appeared in 1,058 games, 1,033 of them as a first baseman, and compiled a .258 batting average with 964 hits and 135

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. Defensively, he totaled 10,872 putouts, 698 assists, 456 double plays, and 183

error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistics ...

s. After his major league career ended, Jones played for five seasons with the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

of the

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 ...

from 1911 to 1915.

Later years

Jones died in

Danville, Pennsylvania Danville is a borough in and the county seat of Montour County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the North Branch of the Susquehanna River. The population was 4,221 at the census. Danville is part of the Bloomsburg-Berwick micropolitan area. ...

, in 1923 at age 48.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Tom 1874 births 1923 deaths Major League Baseball first basemen Baseball players from Pennsylvania Baltimore Orioles (1901–02) players St. Louis Browns players Detroit Tigers players Minor league baseball managers Baltimore Orioles (IL) players Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players