Cleon Jones

Born: 8/4/1942 in Plateau, AL, USA

MLB Debut: 1963-09-14 | Final Game: 1976-05-01

Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Cleon Joseph Jones

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Biography

Cleon Jones was a prominent American baseball player, born in 1942, who played primarily as a position player in Major League Baseball from 1963 until his retirement in 1976. Known for his smooth left-handed swing and solid defensive skills, Jones spent the majority of his career with the New York Mets, where he became a key contributor during the franchise's early years. Over the course of 1,213 games, he recorded 1,196 hits and amassed a career batting average of .281. His offensive prowess included 93 home runs and 524 runs batted in, along with 91 stolen bases, showcasing his ability to impact the game both with power and speed. Jones is perhaps best remembered for his performance during the Mets' miraculous 1969 season, which culminated in the team's first World Series championship. He was named to the All-Star team once during his career, reflecting his status as one of the notable players of his era. Jones's contributions to the game extended beyond statistics; he represented a significant figure in the integration of baseball, as he emerged during a time when the sport was slowly but steadily moving towards inclusivity. His legacy remains intertwined with the history of the Mets, as he played a vital role in their rise to prominence in the late 1960s.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1213	4263	565	1196	183	33	93	524	91	360	702	0.281	0.339	0.404	0.744	7654.9

Career AVG .281 vs. league average .250 across their career seasons — +12.3% above league average.

Career OBP .339 vs. league average .316 across their career seasons — +7.2% above league average.

Career SLG .404 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — +10.0% above league average.

Career OPS 0.744 vs. league average 0.684 across their career seasons — +8.7% above 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	NYN	NL	6	15	1	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	4	0.133	—	—	—	—	0.0
1965	NYN	NL	30	74	2	11	1	0	1	9	1	2	23	0.149	.245 (-39%)	.310 (-45%)	.371 (-45%)	.682 (-45%)	-539.1
1966	NYN	NL	139	495	74	136	16	4	8	57	16	30	62	0.275	.248 (+11%)	.309 (+3%)	.376 (-1%)	.685 (+1%)	25.9
1967	NYN	NL	129	411	46	101	10	5	5	30	12	19	57	0.246	.242 (+1%)	.306 (-8%)	.357 (-7%)	.663 (-8%)	-666.2
1968	NYN	NL	147	509	63	151	29	4	14	55	23	31	98	0.297	.236 (+25%)	.298 (+14%)	.340 (+33%)	.638 (+24%)	2083.3
1969	NYN	NL	137	483	92	164	25	4	12	75	16	64	60	0.340	.248 (+37%)	.320 (+32%)	.369 (+31%)	.689 (+31%)	3131.1
1970	NYN	NL	134	506	71	140	25	8	10	63	12	57	87	0.277	.253 (+9%)	.325 (+8%)	.385 (+8%)	.711 (+8%)	805.7
1971	NYN	NL	136	505	63	161	24	6	14	69	6	53	87	0.319	.249 (+28%)	.316 (+21%)	.365 (+30%)	.682 (+25%)	2442.6
1972	NYN	NL	106	375	39	92	15	1	5	52	1	30	83	0.245	.243 (+1%)	.310 (-2%)	.353 (-7%)	.664 (-4%)	-288.9
1973	NYN	NL	92	339	48	88	13	0	11	48	1	28	51	0.260	.256 (+1%)	.325 (-3%)	.378 (+4%)	.703 (+1%)	-23.9
1974	NYN	NL	124	461	62	130	23	1	13	60	3	38	79	0.282	.256 (+10%)	.324 (+6%)	.369 (+14%)	.693 (+10%)	861.5
1975	NYN	NL	21	50	2	12	1	0	0	2	0	3	6	0.240	.257 (-7%)	.327 (-14%)	.374 (-30%)	.701 (-23%)	-177.0
1976	CHW	AL	12	40	2	8	1	0	0	3	0	5	5	0.200	—	—	—	—	0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
20	81	14	23	7	0	2	8	7	9	0.284

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1973	NLCS	NYN	5	20	3	6	2	0	3	2	4	0.300
1973	WS	NYN	7	28	5	8	2	1	1	4	2	0.286
1969	NLCS	NYN	3	14	4	6	2	1	4	1	2	0.429
1969	WS	NYN	5	19	2	3	1	0	0	0	1	0.158

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	35	32	273	19	4	12
OF	1111	1048	2007	64	47	10

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1963	NYN	OF	5	3	6	0	0	0
1965	NYN	OF	23	16	36	2	0	0
1966	NYN	OF	129	125	275	10	6	2
1967	NYN	OF	115	102	210	5	5	3
1968	NYN	OF	139	125	226	7	9	0
1969	NYN	1B	15	12	99	7	0	3
1969	NYN	OF	122	119	223	4	2	0
1970	NYN	OF	130	128	243	10	5	3
1971	NYN	OF	132	130	248	4	5	1
1972	NYN	1B	20	20	174	12	4	9
1972	NYN	OF	84	78	136	8	2	1
1973	NYN	OF	92	86	168	6	6	0
1974	NYN	OF	120	116	220	8	7	0
1975	NYN	OF	12	12	9	0	0	0
1976	CHA	OF	8	8	7	0	0	0