Willie Jones
Third Baseman
1947-1959
Career w/Phillies: .258 AVG / 180 HR / 753 RBI / 39 SB
Willie “Puddin’ Head” Jones. Yes, the best nickname in Phillies history – Jones got the name from a popular 1930s song, “‘Wooden Head, Puddin’ Head Jones.” Well, that stinks. Still, Jones was a pretty solid offensive popular, and helped the Whiz Kids as a 24-year-old, scoring 100 runs for the only time in his career and reaching a career-high 163 hits and 25 home runs. Because of his 13-year tenure with the Phillies, Jones ranks 15th in team history in hits and 10th in home runs, though he’ll soon be surpassed by Ryan Howard, who is just three behind him. He was also a great clutch hitter, but most of all, he was a fantastic glove. He led third basemen in fielding percentage seven consecutive years, and is among all-time leaders in putouts.
Comment: I could probably rank Jones in the top 50, but his offense was merely average, taking some of the shine off his superb defense. I will say that with the listing of Jones, we’re staring to enter solid territory.
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