Deacon Jones
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1962-1966)
Deacon Jones was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1966 for the Chicago White Sox, a span of 5 seasons. In 40 career games, he hit .286 with 14 hits, 1 home runs, and 10 RBI.
- 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
- Position
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 185 lb
- Died
- 5/7/2023 in Sugar Land, TX, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1962-09-08
- Last Game
- 1966-10-01
Full name: Grover William Jones
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 49 | 7 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 8 | .286 | .368 | .429 | .797 | 0 |
Career AVG .286 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — +13.9% above league average.
Career OBP .368 vs. league average .315 across their career seasons — +17.0% above league average.
Career SLG .429 vs. league average .381 across their career seasons — +12.6% above league average.
Career OPS .797 vs. league average .696 across their career seasons — +14.6% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | CHA | AL | 18 | 28 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 6 | .321 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1963 | CHA | AL | 17 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .188 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1966 | CHA | AL | 5 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .400 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 40 | 49 | 7 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 8 | .286 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (40 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 19 | 19 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 6 | .368 |
| Away | 21 | 30 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 4 | .233 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-10-01 | CHW | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966-09-13 | CHW | BOS | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966-09-07 | CHW | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966-09-05 | CHW | MIN | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966-09-04 | CHW | BAL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-28 | CHW | TEX | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-25 | CHW | BAL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-24 | CHW | BAL | W | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1963-09-21 | CHW | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-18 | CHW | BOS | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 7 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ithaca College | Ithaca | NY | 1953, 1954, 1955 |
Deacon Jones: the record in brief
Between the debut on September 8, 1962 and the final game on October 1, 1966, Deacon Jones built the record summarized on this page. Every season row on the page belongs to the Chicago White Sox, from 1962 through 1966. Jones, born on April 18, 1934, in White Plains, NY, USA, is listed as a first baseman and threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Size on record: 185 pounds on a 5-foot-10 frame. The bio records the death on May 7, 2023, in Sugar Land, TX, USA. Deacon Jones was the playing name; the full given name is Grover William.
Jones's career batting table shows 40 games, 49 at bats and 14 hits, a .286 average, adding 1 home run and 10 RBI. Jones got on base at a .368 rate and slugged .429 (.797 OPS). Over the seasons Jones played, league hitters batted .251; the .286 career figure is 13.9% above that. By OPS the gap is 14.6% above league average (.797 against .696). Jones collected a career-high 9 hits in 1962.
Every defensive appearance on record for Jones, 7 games, came at first base.
Frequently Asked Questions about Deacon Jones
- What years did Deacon Jones play?
- Deacon Jones played in Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1966.
- Was Deacon Jones a pitcher?
- No. Deacon Jones was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Deacon Jones hit?
- Deacon Jones hit 1 career home runs with 14 hits.
- What was Deacon Jones's career batting average?
- Deacon Jones batted .286 over his career, with 14 hits in 49 at bats.
- How many RBI did Deacon Jones have?
- Deacon Jones drove in 10 runs in his career.
- Is Deacon Jones in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Deacon Jones has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.