Jackie Tavener

Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1921-1929)

Jackie Tavener was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1921 to 1929 for the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 9 seasons. In 632 career games, he hit .255 with 543 hits, 13 home runs, and 243 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

AVG .255
HR 13
RBI 243
H 543
OPS .682
PIV -3,151
Position
Shortstop
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
5'5" / 138 lb
Born
12/27/1897 in Celina, OH, USA
Died
9/14/1969 in Fort Worth, TX, USA
MLB Debut
1921-09-24
Last Game
1929-10-06

Full name: John Adam Tavener

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Career Batting Statistics

Jackie Tavener — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
632 2,131 254 543 88 53 13 243 46 186 231 .255 .318 .364 .682 -3,151

Career AVG .255 vs. league average .284 across their career seasons — 10.4% below league average.

Career OBP .318 vs. league average .347 across their career seasons — 8.4% below league average.

Career SLG .364 vs. league average .399 across their career seasons — 8.8% below league average.

Career OPS .682 vs. league average .746 across their career seasons — 8.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jackie Tavener — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1921 DET AL 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1925 DET AL 134 453 45 111 11 11 0 47 5 39 60 .245 .288 (-15%) .349 (-12%) .407 (-22%) .756 (-17%) -1297.0
1926 DET AL 156 532 65 141 22 14 1 58 8 52 53 .265 .279 (-5%) .345 (-4%) .390 (-7%) .735 (-5%) -507.1
1927 DET AL 116 419 60 115 22 9 5 59 19 36 38 .274 .282 (-3%) .344 (-3%) .392 (+3%) .736 (avg) -44.6
1928 DET AL 132 473 59 123 24 15 5 52 13 33 51 .260 .280 (-7%) .342 (-8%) .395 (+3%) .737 (-2%) -322.7
1929 CLE AL 92 250 25 53 9 4 2 27 1 26 28 .212 .289 (-27%) .353 (-18%) .415 (-27%) .769 (-23%) -979.6
Career · 6 seasons 632 2,131 254 543 88 53 13 243 46 186 231 .255 — — — — -3,151

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 (630 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Jackie Tavener — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home30410101352763121.273
Away326112011926710119.238

Last 10 Games — Batting

Jackie Tavener — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1929-10-06 CLESLAL 400000000
1929-10-05 CLESLAW 500000001
1929-10-03 CLESLAL 401000011
1929-09-29 CLESLAW 401000000
1929-09-25 CLECHWW 311100120
1929-09-24 CLECHWW 412001300
1929-09-22 CLEBOSW 201000000
1929-09-21 CLEBOSL 200000000
1929-09-20 CLEBOSW 402000100
1929-09-19 CLEBOSL 410000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jackie Tavener — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
SS 626 0 1238 1908 163 384

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jackie Tavener — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1921 DET SS 2 0 3 4 0 0
1925 DET SS 134 0 229 398 24 73
1926 DET SS 156 0 300 470 39 92
1927 DET SS 114 0 246 356 33 79
1928 DET SS 131 0 302 405 42 81
1929 CLE SS 89 0 158 275 25 59

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jackie Tavener — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Shortstop 624

Award Voting History

Jackie Tavener — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1927 Most Valuable Player AL 13th 6.0 64 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Jackie Tavener (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Sam Bohne
    .261 avg, 16 HR
  2. 94
    Sam Barkley
    .258 avg, 10 HR
  3. 85
    Lew Riggs
    .262 avg, 28 HR
  4. 82
    John Kerins
    .252 avg, 20 HR
  5. 80
    Bert Haas
    .264 avg, 22 HR
  6. 79
    Nelson Liriano
    .260 avg, 25 HR

Jackie Tavener: the record in brief

Jackie Tavener's major league career runs from a debut on September 24, 1921 to a final game on October 6, 1929. The season rows list, in order, the Detroit Tigers (1921 through 1928) and the Cleveland Indians (1929). Tavener, a shortstop by primary position, threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Height and weight on file: 5'5" and 138 pounds. Tavener was born on December 27, 1897, in Celina, OH, USA. Tavener died on September 14, 1969, in Fort Worth, TX, USA. The given name on file is John Adam Tavener.

Across 632 games at the plate, Tavener's career line reads 543 hits in 2,131 at bats for a .255 average; the totals also include 13 home runs, 243 RBI, and 46 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .318 and .364 give Tavener a career OPS of .682. The league as a whole hit .284 across Tavener's seasons, which puts the .255 career mark 10.4% below average. In OPS terms, Tavener's .682 stands 8.6% below the league's .746. 1926 produced Tavener's most hits, 141 of them for the Detroit Tigers.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jackie Tavener

What years did Jackie Tavener play?
Jackie Tavener played in Major League Baseball from 1921 to 1929.
Was Jackie Tavener a pitcher?
No. Jackie Tavener was a position player (Shortstop).
How many home runs did Jackie Tavener hit?
Jackie Tavener hit 13 career home runs with 543 hits.
What was Jackie Tavener's career batting average?
Jackie Tavener batted .255 over his career, with 543 hits in 2,131 at bats.
How many RBI did Jackie Tavener have?
Jackie Tavener drove in 243 runs in his career.
Is Jackie Tavener in the Hall of Fame?
No. Jackie Tavener has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.