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

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. 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 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 ...

with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) 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) East Division. As one of the America ...

(1902), St. Louis Browns (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 club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

(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 the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

players, regardless of position, with 487

out Out or OUT may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films *Out (1957 film), ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 *Out (1982 film), ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander *O ...

s made in 1904 and 1,616

putout In baseball statistics, a putout (PO) 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 with the ball when he is not touching a base (a tag ...

s in 1908. Among the league's first basemen, he ranked second in assists for six consecutive years from 1904 to 1909, led in

range factor Range Factor (commonly abbreviated RF) is a baseball statistic developed by Bill James. It is calculated by dividing putouts and assists by the number of innings or games played at a given defense position. The statistic is premised on the notion ...

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 Le ...

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 Local government in Pennsylvania#Borough, 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 United States census, 2020 census. Honesdale is lo ...

, 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 St. Louis Browns. 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

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 professional baseball first baseman and catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers / St. Louis Browns, Chicago White ...

and

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

. 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. 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

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

error 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 ...

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. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

of the American Association 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 2020 census. Danville is part of the Bloomsburg-Berwick micropolita ...

, in 1923 at age 48.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Tom 1874 births 1923 deaths Major League Baseball first basemen Baseball players from Wayne County, Pennsylvania Baltimore Orioles (1901–02) players 20th-century American sportsmen St. Louis Browns players Detroit Tigers players Minor league baseball managers Baltimore Orioles (International League) players Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players