Nippy Jones
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1946-1957)
Nippy Jones was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1946 to 1957 for the St. Louis Cardinals, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Milwaukee Braves, a span of 12 seasons. In 412 career games, he hit .267 with 369 hits, 25 home runs, and 209 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
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 185 lb
- Died
- 10/3/1995 in Sacramento, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1946-06-09
- Last Game
- 1957-09-29
Full name: Vernal Leroy Jones
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 412 | 1,381 | 146 | 369 | 60 | 12 | 25 | 209 | 4 | 71 | 102 | .267 | .304 | .382 | .687 | -1,167 |
Career AVG .267 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .304 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 9.2% below league average.
Career SLG .382 vs. league average .380 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .687 vs. league average .715 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | SLN | NL | 16 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1947 | SLN | NL | 23 | 73 | 6 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | .247 | .262 (-6%) | .336 (-21%) | .376 (-9%) | .712 (-15%) | -190.5 |
| 1948 | SLN | NL | 132 | 481 | 58 | 122 | 21 | 9 | 10 | 81 | 2 | 36 | 45 | .254 | .263 (-4%) | .340 (-10%) | .379 (+5%) | .719 (-2%) | -317.1 |
| 1949 | SLN | NL | 110 | 380 | 51 | 114 | 20 | 2 | 8 | 62 | 1 | 16 | 20 | .300 | .262 (+14%) | .343 (-4%) | .384 (+11%) | .727 (+4%) | 137.0 |
| 1950 | SLN | NL | 13 | 26 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | .231 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1951 | SLN | NL | 80 | 300 | 20 | 79 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 41 | 1 | 9 | 13 | .263 | .260 (+1%) | .336 (-15%) | .385 (-14%) | .721 (-14%) | -728.3 |
| 1952 | PHI | NL | 8 | 30 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1957 | ML1 | NL | 30 | 79 | 5 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 7 | .266 | .257 (+3%) | .323 (-10%) | .391 (avg) | .715 (-4%) | -68.4 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 412 | 1,381 | 146 | 369 | 60 | 12 | 25 | 209 | 4 | 71 | 102 | .267 | — | — | — | — | -1,167 | ||
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
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (412 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 222 | 756 | 85 | 222 | 15 | 137 | .294 |
| Away | 190 | 625 | 61 | 147 | 10 | 71 | .235 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-09-29 | ATL | CIN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1957-09-25 | ATL | STL | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1957-09-12 | ATL | BRO | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-09-08 | ATL | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-09-06 | ATL | CHC | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-09-05 | ATL | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-09-03 | ATL | CHC | W | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1957-08-31 | ATL | CIN | W | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-08-28 | ATL | NY1 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-08-26 | ATL | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 333 | 15 | 2992 | 173 | 43 | 289 |
| 2B | 16 | 0 | 34 | 42 | 6 | 6 |
| OF | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | SLN | 2B | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1947 | SLN | 2B | 13 | 0 | 32 | 40 | 5 | 5 |
| 1947 | SLN | OF | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948 | SLN | 1B | 128 | 0 | 1148 | 63 | 17 | 98 |
| 1949 | SLN | 1B | 98 | 0 | 876 | 40 | 15 | 85 |
| 1950 | SLN | 1B | 8 | 0 | 54 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
| 1951 | SLN | 1B | 71 | 0 | 698 | 48 | 7 | 78 |
| 1952 | PHI | 1B | 8 | 0 | 73 | 7 | 2 | 8 |
| 1957 | ML1 | 1B | 20 | 15 | 143 | 12 | 1 | 12 |
| 1957 | ML1 | OF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 333 |
| Second Base | 16 |
| Right Field | 3 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Nippy Jones (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Nippy Jones: the record in brief
According to the bio, Nippy Jones debuted on June 9, 1946 and played a final game on September 29, 1957. The team column moves through the St. Louis Cardinals (1946 to 1951), the Philadelphia Phillies (1952), and the Milwaukee Braves (1957). At 6'1" and 185 pounds, Jones is listed as a first baseman. The bio says Jones threw and hit right-handed. The recorded birth is June 29, 1925, in Los Angeles, CA, USA. The bio records the death on October 3, 1995, in Sacramento, CA, USA. Jones's full given name, per the bio, is Vernal Leroy Jones.
The batting record for Jones: 412 games, 369 hits in 1,381 at bats, and a .267 average, plus 25 home runs and 209 RBI. Jones got on base at a .304 rate and slugged .382 (.687 OPS). Jones hit .267 while the league hit .260 over the same span, a figure close to average. The single-season home run high is 10, set in 1948. 1948 produced Jones's most hits, 122 of them for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Frequently Asked Questions about Nippy Jones
- What years did Nippy Jones play?
- Nippy Jones played in Major League Baseball from 1946 to 1957.
- Was Nippy Jones a pitcher?
- No. Nippy Jones was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Nippy Jones hit?
- Nippy Jones hit 25 career home runs with 369 hits.
- What teams did Nippy Jones play for?
- Nippy Jones played for 3 teams: the St. Louis Cardinals (1946–1951), the Philadelphia Phillies (1952), and the Milwaukee Braves (1957).
- What were Nippy Jones's career stats?
- In 412 games, Nippy Jones had 369 hits, 25 home runs, 209 RBI, 146 runs, and 4 stolen bases, with a .267 batting average.
- What position did Nippy Jones play?
- Nippy Jones played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Nippy Jones and how much did he weigh?
- Nippy Jones was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 185 pounds.
- How many home runs did Nippy Jones hit each season?
- Nippy Jones's home runs by season: 0 in 1946, 1 in 1947, 10 in 1948, 8 in 1949, 0 in 1950, 3 in 1951, 1 in 1952, and 2 in 1957. His most in one season was 10, in 1948.
- What was Nippy Jones's career batting average?
- Nippy Jones batted .267 over his career, with 369 hits in 1,381 at bats.
- How many RBI did Nippy Jones have?
- Nippy Jones drove in 209 runs in his career.
- Is Nippy Jones in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Nippy Jones has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.