Jelly Jackson

Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records

Jelly Jackson was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Red Sox and the Homestead Grays. In 356 career games, he hit .198 with 221 hits, 2 home runs, and 104 RBI. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020.

AVG (Batting Average):
Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):
Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):
Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated

AVG .198
HR 2
RBI 104
H 221
OPS .507
PIV -5,324
Position
Shortstop
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'11" / 147 lb
Born
9/13/1909 in Washington, DC, USA
Died
2/14/1980 in Washington, DC, USA

Full name: Norman Jackson

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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

Jelly Jackson — Batting
PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1175.0 1068.0 152.0 218.0 22.0 12.0 4.0 61.0 88.0 14.0 11.0 .204 .267 .258 .525

Career Batting Statistics

Jelly Jackson — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
356 1,118 162 221 25 12 2 104 11 88 10 .198 .260 .247 .507 -5,324

Career AVG .198 vs. league average .273 across their career seasons — 27.5% below league average.

Career OBP .260 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — 23.3% below league average.

Career SLG .247 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — 36.2% below league average.

Career OPS .507 vs. league average .726 across their career seasons — 30.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jelly Jackson Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1934 CRS NN2 12 42 3 12 2 0 0 4 1 2 0 .286 — — — — 0.0
1935 HG NN2 45 141 24 20 4 0 1 10 0 13 1 .142 .279 (-49%) .342 (-36%) .399 (-52%) .742 (-45%) -1027.9
1936 HG NN2 30 86 7 16 1 0 0 3 1 5 0 .186 .283 (-34%) .349 (-32%) .404 (-51%) .753 (-42%) -592.1
1937 HG NN2 47 162 23 40 3 0 0 22 1 8 0 .247 .276 (-11%) .342 (-16%) .398 (-33%) .740 (-25%) -655.0
1938 HG NN2 47 163 21 33 5 3 0 19 0 13 2 .202 .272 (-26%) .341 (-24%) .392 (-31%) .734 (-28%) -752.2
1939 HG NN2 35 118 26 21 2 4 1 14 1 16 2 .178 .274 (-35%) .342 (-18%) .393 (-27%) .735 (-23%) -439.8
1940 HG NN2 54 166 21 32 3 2 0 15 5 8 1 .193 .267 (-28%) .335 (-30%) .387 (-39%) .722 (-35%) -943.5
1944 HG NN2 38 94 19 16 2 1 0 8 0 11 0 .170 .261 (-35%) .325 (-19%) .357 (-40%) .683 (-30%) -415.2
1945 HG NN2 48 146 18 31 3 2 0 9 2 12 4 .212 .260 (-19%) .328 (-17%) .354 (-27%) .683 (-22%) -498.2
Career · 9 seasons 356 1,118 162 221 25 12 2 104 11 88 10 .198 — — — — -5,324

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Jelly Jackson — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
16 41 2 4 0 0 0 1 3 4 .098

Playoff Batting by Year

Jelly Jackson — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1945 NWS HG 4 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
1944 NWS HG 5 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 .000
1939 NLC HG 5 13 2 4 0 0 0 1 1 1 .308
1939 NLP2 HG 2 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (294 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Jelly Jackson — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1404236185123.201
Away1544836793327.193

Last 10 Games — Batting

Jelly Jackson — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1945-08-29 HOMNY6W 411000000
1945-08-28 HOMNY6L 302000000
1945-08-26 HOMNW2W 300000000
1945-08-26 HOMNW2W 401000000
1945-08-20 HOMNY6L 311000000
1945-08-11 HOMPH5L 300000000
1945-08-10 HOMBLGL 200000000
1945-07-26 HOMPH5L 201000010
1945-07-25 HOMBLGL 311000000
1945-07-24 HOMBLGW 200000010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jelly Jackson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 66 63 119 169 18 24
3B 5 0 1 4 0 0
SS 283 275 549 788 103 122

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jelly Jackson — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1934 CRS SS 12 12 29 32 6 6
1935 HG SS 44 44 90 98 21 14
1936 HG SS 29 26 63 77 12 16
1937 HG SS 47 46 87 135 18 21
1938 HG SS 47 47 90 146 15 23
1939 HG SS 35 35 72 104 9 16
1940 HG SS 53 51 88 156 19 23
1944 HG 2B 25 24 48 70 5 11
1944 HG 3B 5 0 1 4 0 0
1944 HG SS 9 8 17 22 2 1
1945 HG 2B 41 39 71 99 13 13
1945 HG SS 7 6 13 18 1 2

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jelly Jackson Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Second Base 66
Third Base 5
Shortstop 283

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

  1. 98
    Rich Morales
    .195 avg, 6 HR
  2. 90
    Tom McLaughlin
    .192 avg, 2 HR
  3. 77
    Luis Gomez
    .210 avg, 0 HR
  4. 66
    Mick Kelleher
    .213 avg, 0 HR
  5. 66
    Henry Easterday
    .180 avg, 9 HR
  6. 65
    Hunter Hill
    .216 avg, 1 HR

Jelly Jackson: the record in brief

Jelly Jackson's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1934 to 1945. The team column moves through the Cleveland Red Sox (1934) and the Homestead Grays (1935 to 1945). Jackson played primarily as a shortstop and batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on September 13, 1909, in Washington, DC, USA and a listed size of 5-foot-11 and 147 pounds. Jackson's death is recorded on February 14, 1980, in Washington, DC, USA. Jelly Jackson was the playing name; the full given name is Norman.

Jackson collected 221 hits in 1,118 at bats across 356 games, good for a .198 batting average, plus 2 home runs and 104 runs batted in. Reaching base at a .260 clip and slugging .247, Jackson finished with a .507 OPS. Jackson's .198 average ran 27.5% below the .273 that the league posted over the same seasons. The highest hit total in a season was 40, in 1937. 1937 brought the most runs batted in, 22. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .247 in 1937, did not top the league's .276.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jelly Jackson

Was Jelly Jackson a pitcher?
No. Jelly Jackson was a position player (Shortstop).
How many home runs did Jelly Jackson hit?
Jelly Jackson hit 2 career home runs with 221 hits.
What teams did Jelly Jackson play for?
Jelly Jackson played for 2 teams: the Cleveland Red Sox (1934) and the Homestead Grays (1935–1940, 1944–1945).
What were Jelly Jackson's career stats?
In 356 games, Jelly Jackson had 221 hits, 2 home runs, 104 RBI, 162 runs, and 11 stolen bases, with a .198 batting average.
What position did Jelly Jackson play?
Jelly Jackson played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Jelly Jackson and how much did he weigh?
Jelly Jackson was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 147 pounds.
How many home runs did Jelly Jackson hit each season?
Jelly Jackson's home runs by season: 0 in 1934, 1 in 1935, 0 in 1936, 0 in 1937, 0 in 1938, 1 in 1939, 0 in 1940, 0 in 1944, and 0 in 1945. His most in one season was 1, in 1935 and 1939.
What was Jelly Jackson's career batting average?
Jelly Jackson batted .198 over his career, with 221 hits in 1,118 at bats.
How many RBI did Jelly Jackson have?
Jelly Jackson drove in 104 runs in his career.
Is Jelly Jackson in the Hall of Fame?
No. Jelly Jackson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.