Travis Jackson

1. REDIRECTTemplate:Distinguish

Template:Rcatsh Template:Infobox baseball biography Travis Calvin Jackson (November 2, 1903 – July 27, 1987) was an American baseball shortstop. In Major League Baseball (MLB), Jackson played for the New York Giants from 1922 through 1936, winning the 1933 World Series, and representing the Giants in the MLB All-Star Game in 1934. After his retirement as a player, Jackson managed in minor league baseball through to the 1960 season.

Jackson was discovered by Kid Elberfeld at a minor league baseball game at the age of 14. Elberfeld signed Jackson to his first professional contract, and recommended him to John McGraw, manager of the Giants. His exceptional range at shortstop led to the nickname "Stonewall."<ref name=terry1934>Template:Cite news</ref> Jackson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.

Early life

Jackson was born in Waldo, Arkansas, on November 2, 1903. He was the only child of William Jackson, a wholesale grocer, and his wife Etta, who named their son after William B. Travis, a lieutenant colonel who died at the Battle of the Alamo.<ref name=sabr/> Jackson's father bought him a baseball when he was three years old, and they often played catch together.<ref name=sportingnews>Template:Cite news</ref>

Jackson's uncle took him to a Little Rock Travelers minor-league game when he was 14 years old. At the game, Jackson's uncle introduced him to Kid Elberfeld, telling Elberfeld that his nephew was a talented baseball player.<ref name=sabr>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Elberfeld observed Jackson in an impromptu workout, and asked Jackson to contact him when he was ready to begin his professional career.<ref name=sabr/><ref name=sportingnews/>

Jackson attended Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, where he starred on the college baseball team.<ref name=nytobit/> While there, he injured his knee, and this injury would recur during Jackson's career.<ref name=nytobit/>

Professional career

Playing career

Following Jackson's collegiate career, Elberfeld signed Jackson to his first contract, and he played for Little Rock in 1921 and 1922.<ref name=sabr/> Jackson committed 72 errors during the 1922 season, which he considered the "world record for errors".<ref name=nytobit/>

Despite this, Elberfeld recommended Jackson to John McGraw, manager of the New York Giants of the National League (NL), who was entitled to a Travelers player as he had lent a player to the team in 1922.<ref name=nytobit/> McGraw signed Jackson to a contract on June 30, effective at the end of the Southern Association's 1922 season.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Jackson debuted with the Giants on September 22, 1922, appearing in three games. With Dave Bancroft and Heinie Groh, the Giants' starting shortstop and third baseman respectively, sidelined with injuries incurred during the 1923 season, Jackson drew notice as a fill-in.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> McGraw was confident enough in Jackson's abilities to trade Bancroft before the 1924 season, choosing Jackson to be the Giants' starting shortstop.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Though there was doubt that Jackson could adequately replace Bancroft,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Jackson played in 151 games during the 1924 season<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and hit .302 with 11 home runs. The Giants lost the 1924 World Series to the Washington Senators, with Jackson committing a key error in Game 7.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Jackson was considered one of the best shortstops of his era,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and he led NL shortstops with a .970 fielding percentage in 1931.<ref name=nytobit/> However, he missed considerable playing time in his career resulting from injuries and illnesses. Jackson reinjured his knee in 1925,<ref name=nytobit/> missed significant time during the 1926 season<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Subscription required</ref> and had surgery for appendicitis during the 1927 season.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He missed time with mumps in 1930<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Subscription required</ref> and influenza in 1932,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and he continued to battle knee problems, missing much of the 1932 and 1933 seasons.<ref name=makeorbreak/> Jackson was said to "at 28, already [have] one foot in the minors".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Despite this, manager Bill Terry said that Jackson would "make or break" the 1933 season.<ref name=makeorbreak>Template:Cite news</ref> Though Jackson fell behind Blondy Ryan on the team's depth chart during the season,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> he returned in the 1933 World Series, which the Giants won over the Senators.<ref name=captain/>

File:TravisJacksonGoudeycard.jpg

Jackson's 1933 Goudey baseball card

Terry stayed with Jackson as the Giants' starting shortstop for the 1934 season,<ref name=terry1934/> in which he drove in 101 runs and was chosen to appear in the 1934 MLB All-Star Game.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Subscription required</ref> Jackson played third base in his final two seasons,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> serving as team captain,<ref name=captain>Template:Cite news</ref> although he struggled in the 1936 World Series,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> which the Giants lost to the New York Yankees.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After the season, the Giants requested waivers on Jackson to assign him to the minor leagues.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Subscription required</ref>

Jackson batted over .300 six times, including a career-high .339 in the 1930 season,<ref name=nytobit/> and hit 21 home runs in 1929. He was on four NL pennant-winning teams and a World Series champion (1933). Jackson finished his MLB career with 135 home runs, 929 RBI and a .291 batting average.<ref name=nytobit/>

Coaching and managing career

Jackson signed a three-year contract with the Jersey City Giants of the Class-AA International League after the 1936 season. The team, which the Giants had purchased to become their farm team that offseason, was moved from Albany, New York, with Jackson to serve as player-manager.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news Template:Subscription required</ref> Jackson's knees prevented him from appearing in many games with Jersey City as a player,<ref name=sabr/> but he remained as the team's manager until July 1938, when he was replaced with Hank DeBerry. The Giants brought Jackson back to the majors as a coach for the remaining 18 months on his contract, succeeding Tommy Clarke, who became a scout.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=coaches>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Jackson missed the next five seasons as he battled tuberculosis,<ref name=nytobit/> eventually returning to manage in the Boston / Milwaukee Braves system for the Jackson Senators in the Class-B Southeastern League in 1946.<ref name=brm/> Jackson returned to the Giants to coach in 1947 and 1948,<ref name=coaches/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> receiving his unconditional release following the 1948 season.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Subscription required</ref>

Returning to the Braves' minor league system, Jackson managed the Tampa Smokers of the Class-B Florida International League in 1949, but resigned in July during a losing streak.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He managed the Owensboro Oilers of the Class-D Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League in 1950, and began the 1951 season managing the Bluefield Blue-Grays of the Class-D Appalachian League, but was reassigned to the Hartford Chiefs of the Class-A Eastern League when Hartford manager Tommy Holmes was named the Braves' manager.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Jackson managed the Appleton Papermakers of the Class-D Wisconsin State League in 1952 and 1953, the Lawton Braves of the Class-D Sooner State League from 1954 through 1957, the Midland Braves of the Class-D Sophomore League in 1958,<ref name=brm/> the Eau Claire Braves of the Class-C Northern League in 1959<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the Davenport Braves of the Class-D Midwest League in 1960.<ref name=brm>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personal life

Jackson and his wife, Mary, had two children, Dorothy Fincher and William Travis Jackson, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.<ref name=nytobit/> Jackson died of Alzheimer's disease in 1987.<ref name=nytobit>Template:Cite news</ref>

Honors

As defensive standouts have historically been overshadowed by power hitters in Baseball Hall of Fame voting, Jackson was not elected through the annual balloting process despite his record and achievements. But in 1982, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.<ref name="nytobit" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was also inducted in the Arkansas Hall of Fame.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

See also

• List of members of the Baseball Hall of Fame
• List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise

External links

• Template:Baseball Hall of Fame profile
• {{#if:||* }}Career statistics from {{#invoke:String|join|Template:Space·Template:Space|{{#if: 116445

| MLB | {{#if: Template:Wikidata | Template:Wikidata MLB Template:EditAtWikidata}} }}|{{#if: 23278 | ESPN | {{#if: Template:Wikidata | Template:Wikidata ESPN Template:EditAtWikidata}} }}|{{#if: j/jackstr01 | Baseball Reference | {{#if: Template:Wikidata | Template:Wikidata.shtml Baseball Reference Template:EditAtWikidata}} }}|{{#if: 1006314 | Fangraphs | {{#if: Template:Wikidata | Template:Wikidata Fangraphs Template:EditAtWikidata}} }}|{{#if: jackso001tra | Baseball Reference (Minors) | {{#if: Template:Wikidata | Template:Wikidata Baseball Reference (Minors) Template:EditAtWikidata}} }}|{{#if: J/Pjackt101 | Retrosheet | {{#if: Template:Wikidata | Template:Wikidata.htm Retrosheet Template:EditAtWikidata}} }}|{{#if: | Baseball Almanac | {{#if: Template:Wikidata | Template:Wikidata Baseball Almanac Template:EditAtWikidata}} }}}}{{#if: j/jackstr01 jackso001tra 23278 1006314 116445 J/Pjackt101

         Template:Wikidata Template:Wikidata Template:Wikidata Template:Wikidata Template:Wikidata Template:Wikidata Template:Wikidata Template:Wikidata
  | 
  | Template:Main other Error: Template:Baseballstats must contain at least one valid parameter name.
  }}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters | check
  | unknown = Template:Main other
  | preview = Page using Template:Baseballstats with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"
  | ignoreblank = y | br | brm | espn | fangraphs | id | mlb | retro | nobullet | almanac
  }}

• Template:SABR Baseball Biography Project
• Template:Find a Grave
• Template:Cite encyclopedia