Jackie Tavener
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jackie Tavener ("Rabbit") | ||
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| Shortstop | ||
| Born: December 27, 1897 | ||
| Died: September 14, 1969 (aged 71) | ||
| Batted: Left | Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | ||
| September 24, 1921 for the Detroit Tigers |
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| Final game | ||
| October 6, 1929 for the Cleveland Indians |
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| Career statistics | ||
| AVG | .255 | |
| Hits | 543 | |
| RBI | 243 | |
| Teams | ||
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| Career highlights and awards | ||
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John Adam "Jackie" Tavener (December 27, 1897 – September 14, 1969), nicknamed "Rabbit," [1] was a baseball player who played shortstop for six seasons with the Detroit Tigers (1921, 1925-1928) and Cleveland Indians (1929).
Born in Celina, Ohio, Tavener reached the major leagues at the end of the 1921 season and played two games with the Detroit Tigers. After those two games, Tavener did not play again in the major leagues until four years later in 1925. During the interim, Tavener played for the Fort Worth Panthers.[2]
Between 1925 and 1928, Tavener was the Tigers' starting shortstop. In 1926, Tavener played all 156 games at shortstop for Detroit. A good fielding, weak hitting shortstop, Tavener had a .255 batting average for his career. However, he had speed, range and good hands at shortstop. In 1928, he had a Range factor of 5.40 at shortstop, 0.66 points higher than the average shortstop that year. In his six major league seasons, Tavener had 1,238 career putouts (including 302 in 1928), 1,908 assists (including 470 in 1926), 384 double plays (including 92 in 1925), and 163 errors.
Largely due to his defensive skills and speed, Tavener finished 13th in the American League MVP voting in 1927. That year, he stole 19 bases (8th best in the AL) and had a range factor of 5.28 -- 0.42 points higher than the average shortstop. He also scored his best offensive year in 1927, with a .333 on base percentage, 36 extra base hits, and a.406 slugging percentage in 116 games.
When Tavener did make contact, his speed made him an extra base threat. He was among the American League leaders in triples in 1925 (11 triples; 10th best in AL), 1926 (14 triples; 5th best in AL) and 1928 (15 triples; 4th best in AL).
Tavener was also the third major league player to steal second, third and home in the same game on multiple occasions. Tavener accomplished the feat on July 10, 1927, and July 10, 1928. The only other two who have accomplished the feat more than once are Honus Wagner and Ty Cobb. No player has accomplished the feat more than once since Tavener did it in 1927-1928.[3]
On December 11, 1928, the Tigers traded Tavener with Ken Holloway to the Cleveland Indians for pitcher George Uhle. Tavener played one season with the Indians to end his major league career.
Uhle was quoted as saying that Cleveland traded for Tavener because he hit so well against them. After Uhle was traded to Detroit, Harry Heilmann told Uhle, "Just pitch high fastballs to Jackie. That's all you have to do." Uhle reported that stopped his hitting cold. [4]
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
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