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

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

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 league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

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) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

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) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

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

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

, was an alumnus of

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a Public university, public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. B ...

. 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 ...

. 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 Nort ...

, 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 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 league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

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 or runs batted in (RBI) 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 th ...

(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 ballpark located in Boston, Massachusetts, less than one mile from Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home field of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Boston Red Sox. While the stadium was built in 1912, it was substantia ...

'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 statistical record of baseball. The organization was founded in Cooperstown, New York, on Au ...

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. Wertz played for the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Br ...

, 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 hit (baseball), base hit on which the batting (baseball), batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error (base ...

s, both doubles. At the cutdown date, May 17, Boston traded him to the

Milwaukee Braves The Milwaukee Braves were a Major League Baseball club that played in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 1953 to 1965, having previously played in Boston, Massachusetts, as the Boston Braves. After relocating to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1966 they were rename ...

for veteran

Ray Boone Raymond Otis Boone (July 27, 1923 – October 17, 2004) was an American professional baseball infielder and scout (sport), scout who played in Major League Baseball (MLB). Primarily a third baseman and shortstop, he was a two-time American League ...

, 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 Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

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 * I ...

, and six

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions 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 out ...

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 h ...

and 56 assists while committing nine

errors An error (from the Latin , meaning 'to wander'Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “error (n.), Etymology,” September 2023, .) is an inaccurate or incorrect action, thought, or judgement. In statistics, "error" refers to the difference between t ...

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 baseball positions, defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putout ...

. 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 The bonus rule was a contractual rule affecting major league baseball intermittently between 1947 and 1964, meant to prevent teams from assigning certain players to farm teams. The rule stipulated that when a major-league team signed a player to ...

''). *1959, Traded by Chicago to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Frank Baumann. *1960, Traded by Boston to the

in exchange for

(Jackson did not play for them).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Ron 1933 births 2008 deaths Baseball players from Kalamazoo, Michigan Boston Red Sox players Chicago White Sox players Indianapolis Indians players Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Major League Baseball first basemen Vancouver Mounties players Western Michigan Broncos baseball players Western Michigan University alumni Kalamazoo Central High School alumni