Sonny Jackson

Born: 7/9/1944 in Washington, DC, USA

MLB Debut: 1963-09-27 | Final Game: 1974-07-09

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 150 lbs

Full name: Roland Thomas Jackson

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Biography

Sonny Jackson was born in 1944 and enjoyed a professional baseball career that spanned from 1963 to July 9, 1974. Primarily playing as a position player, Jackson was known for his speed on the bases and defensive versatility. Over the course of his career, he appeared in 936 games, accumulating 767 hits, 7 home runs, and 162 RBIs, while maintaining a batting average of .251. His ability to steal bases was a standout aspect of his game, as he successfully swiped 126 bases, showcasing his agility and tactical acumen during a time when speed was highly valued in baseball. Jackson's career unfolded during a transformative era in Major League Baseball, marked by the increasing integration of players and the beginning of a shift towards more athletic styles of play. He played for teams such as the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros, where he made significant contributions to the clubs' lineups. Jackson's combination of solid contact hitting and base-running prowess made him a valuable asset to his teams, and his legacy remains as a reflection of the dynamic changes in the game during the 1960s and early 1970s.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
936	3055	396	767	81	28	7	162	126	250	265	0.251	0.308	0.303	0.611	-5122.2

Career AVG .251 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .308 vs. league average .315 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .303 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — 17.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.611 vs. league average 0.683 across their career seasons — 10.5% below league average.

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
1963	HOU	NL	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1964	HOU	NL	9	23	3	8	1	0	0	1	1	2	3	0.348	—	—	—	—	0.0
1965	HOU	NL	10	23	1	3	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	0.130	—	—	—	—	0.0
1966	HOU	NL	150	596	80	174	6	5	3	25	49	42	53	0.292	.248 (+17%)	.309 (+10%)	.376 (-11%)	.685 (-2%)	-13.7
1967	HOU	NL	129	520	67	123	18	3	0	25	22	36	45	0.237	.242 (-2%)	.306 (-7%)	.357 (-21%)	.663 (-14%)	-1356.1
1968	ATL	NL	105	358	37	81	8	2	1	19	16	25	35	0.226	.236 (-4%)	.298 (-6%)	.340 (-21%)	.638 (-14%)	-799.5
1969	ATL	NL	98	318	41	76	3	5	1	27	12	35	33	0.239	.248 (-4%)	.320 (-1%)	.369 (-22%)	.689 (-12%)	-626.8
1970	ATL	NL	103	328	60	85	14	3	0	20	11	45	27	0.259	.253 (+2%)	.325 (+7%)	.385 (-17%)	.711 (-6%)	-258.9
1971	ATL	NL	149	547	58	141	20	5	2	25	7	35	45	0.258	.249 (+3%)	.316 (-5%)	.365 (-11%)	.682 (-8%)	-929.0
1972	ATL	NL	60	126	20	30	6	3	0	8	1	7	9	0.238	.243 (-2%)	.310 (-10%)	.353 (-6%)	.664 (-8%)	-204.5
1973	ATL	NL	117	206	29	43	5	2	0	12	6	22	13	0.209	.256 (-19%)	.325 (-13%)	.378 (-33%)	.703 (-24%)	-933.7
1974	ATL	NL	5	7	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.429	—	—	—	—	0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1969	NLCS	ATL	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
3B	7	5	13	10	1	0
OF	212	153	395	9	8	0
SS	630	589	984	1801	149	282

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1963	HOU	SS	1	1	0	5	1	0
1964	HOU	SS	7	5	8	12	3	1
1965	HOU	3B	1	0	0	0	0	0
1965	HOU	SS	8	7	16	15	1	3
1966	HOU	SS	150	150	270	449	37	73
1967	HOU	SS	128	124	204	379	35	63
1968	ATL	SS	99	94	132	307	22	35
1969	ATL	SS	97	88	161	254	17	48
1970	ATL	SS	87	78	123	240	26	40
1971	ATL	OF	145	136	336	8	7	0
1972	ATL	3B	6	5	13	10	1	0
1972	ATL	OF	10	4	6	0	0	0
1972	ATL	SS	17	15	28	52	2	9
1973	ATL	OF	56	12	51	1	1	0
1973	ATL	SS	36	27	42	88	5	10
1974	ATL	OF	1	1	2	0	0	0