Travis Jackson
Boyish Travis Jackson entered and exited the major leagues as a winner. In 1922 as an 18-year old he had a cup of coffee with the Giants in late September after they clinched the pennant, and in 1936 in his final season, he played third base for the Giants as they again won the pennant. In between, Jackson helped the Giants to three other World Series appearances and ascended to the role of team captain, succeeding Rogers Hornsby. Jackson never led the league in any offensive categories, and he was never regarded during his playing days as the star of his team or as more than a very good ballplayer. Yet, in 1982 the Hall of Fame's Veterans Committee elected him to Cooperstown's shrine, apparently based on his six .300 seasons as a shortstop/third baseman.
Played For
New York Giants (1922-1936)
All-Time Rankings
Travis Jackson ranks #50 among the Top 50 all-time at SS. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1929
Like others who had frequent nagging injuries, it's hard to pick Jackson's best season. In 1930 he hit a career-high .339, but played just 116 games. He enjoyed just four season of 140 or more games, the best of which was in 1929 when he set a career standard with 270 total bases on the strength of 21 doubles, 12 triples and 21 home runs. He hit .294, which was exactly the league average. never a great defensive infielder, Jackson did lead NL shortstops in fielding, chances, assists and double plays in 1929.
Jackson and Wright
In 1930, the Sporting News ran an article that discussed "the big topic for debate" among New York fans. The issue was which shortstop, Brooklyn's Glenn Wright or the Giants' Travis "Stoney" Jackson was the best in the National League. The article mentioned that Jackson deserved considerable attention for his throwing arm, which was called "the greatest among the infielders of the majors." It went on to give the nod to Jackson, based on the fact that he'd "established his supremacy over a number of years." Wright was actually a couple of years older than Jackson, but "Stonewall" had debuted two years earlier than his elder.
A close examination of Wright's career shows that had he had some better luck he may have been the player who ended up in Cooperstown.
After their 1930 seasons (in which Wright outperformed Jackson), their career lines were as follows: Jackson's batting average was .300, with a .457 slugging percentage, .349 OBP, 94 homers, 574 RBI, 544 runs scored. Wright was at .301 with a .457 SLG, .337 OBP, 73 home runs, 612 RBI and 478 runs.
Take note that Wright had virtually identical totals despite playing nearly 200 games less than Jackson to that point in their careers. Unfortunately for Wright, he only played one more full season in the majors after he turned 30. Wright is largely forgotten today, but he was every bit the equal of Jackson during their prime years.
Judging Jackson
Jackson's career average of .291 and slugging mark of .433 are decent figures for a shortstop, even from the 1920-1930 era. But a closer look tells the story behind the numbers. Jackson compiled those figures in a league that hit .283 and slugged .397. Thus he was less than 10% better than his league in slugging and roughly 3% better than his league in hitting. That means that his .291 mark is less impressive than Dave Concepcion's .267 (in a .255 league), and Woodie Held's .422 (in a .372 league).
As a Manager
Jackson managed in several different leagues after his playing career, but never got the chance at the major league level:
1946 - Jackson, Southeastern League
1949 - Tampa, Florida International League
1950 - Owensboro, Kitty League
1951 - Bluefield, Appalachian League
1951 - Hartford, Eastern League
1952-1953 - Appleton, Wisconsin State League
1954-1957 - Lawton, Sooner State League
1958 - Midland, Sophomore League
1959 - Eau Claire, Northern League
1960 - Davenport, Midwest League
Born
Travis Calvin Jackson was born on November 2, 1903, in Waldo, AR.
Died
July 27, 1987, Waldo, AR
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: SS
Primary Team: NY1
Major League Debut
September 27, 1922
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1922
Jim Bottomley
Gabby Hartnett
Ossie Bluege
Travis Jackson
Sparky Adams
George Grantham
Fats Fothergill
Fred Haney
Andy High
Nicknames
Stonewall
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1948 |
BBWAA |
5 |
4.1% |
1949 |
BBWAA |
6 |
3.9% |
1950 |
BBWAA |
6 |
3.6% |
1951 |
BBWAA |
4 |
1.8% |
1952 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.4% |
1953 |
BBWAA |
2 |
.8% |
1954 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.4% |
1955 |
BBWAA |
5 |
2.0% |
1956 |
BBWAA |
14 |
7.3% |
1958 |
BBWAA |
11 |
4.1% |
1960 |
BBWAA |
11 |
4.1% |
1962 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.6% |
1982 |
Veterans |
|
% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1923 World Series
1924 World Series
1933 World Series
1936 World Series
Notes
The strongest case for Jackson's inclusion in the Hall of Fame may be his four top-ten finishes in MVP voting. He was 5th in 1927, 9th in 1928, 7th in 1931, and 4th in 1934.
All-Star Selections
1934 NL
Replaced
Dave Bancroft
Replaced By
Dick Bartell
Learn More about Travis Jackson
Search Amazon.com for Books about Travis Jackson ⇒
Search for Travis Jackson at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
