Deacon Jones

Who is Deacon Jones?

Grover William "Deacon" Jones, is a retired professional baseball player who played first base in the Major Leagues from 1962-1966 with the Chicago White Sox.

In his 11-year minor-league career, Jones batted .319 with 154 home runs and a slugging percentage of .528. His major-league experience consisted of 60 plate appearances combined between the 1962, '63 and '66 seasons. He batted .286 with one home run, and 10 RBIs. A great natural hitter, Jones still holds the Midwest League record for the highest single-season batting average when he hit .409 for Dubuque in 1956. He also had 135 hits, smashed 26 HRs and had a .758 slugging percentage in only 330 at-bats. Had Jones not suffered a shoulder injury during spring training of 1956 with the Chicago White Sox, it is not unreasonable to speculate that he might have had a substantial major-league career as a contemporary of other great African-American players of the era such as Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Frank Robinson.

After retiring, Jones served as a minor-league scout, coach, and manager in the White Sox organization through 1973. Jones was a coach for the Houston Astros from 1976–1982, and with the San Diego Padres from 1984-1987.