Shoeless Joe Jackson, Hall of Fame Worthy?
A long standing controversy in major league baseball has been that surrounding Shoeless Joe Jackson and his alleged throwing of the World Series for the Chicago White Sox of’19. Jackson has long been gone from baseball and long deceased, but many have still pushed to carve out his place in Cooperstown. Does he belong?
Jackson had a career that spanned thirteen years, and played with four teams in all. Most notable was his tenure in Chicago, but he also played for the Indians, Athletics, and Naps. His numbers as a professional ballplayer were very impressive.
Some of Jackson’s career numbers include 1,772 hits, 54 home runs, 785 RBI, and a career batting average of .356. Jackson lacked in the power department, but his averages were clearly impressive.
This may not scream out obvious hall of fame, however, the .356 batting average would easily clear those standards in today’s game. Here are some more impressive stats we can deduce by taking a closer look at his numbers.
9.4 walks percentage, 4.2 strikeout percentage, .423 on base percentage. 517 slugging percentage, and a .940 OPS. These are great numbers and H.O.F. numbers in fact.
So the stats look good, but how about the scandal? Did Jackson blatantly lower his level of play, throwing the series for Chicago? A look at the stats would say no. Jackson batted .375 that World Series, with a record breaking 12 hits. Unlike many of his teammates, Jackson’s fielding percentage was a perfect 1.000.
Many have accused Jackson of allowing multiple Reds triples in left field, where he played for the White Sox. However, further research of mine has shown that no triples were hit to Jackson’s part of the field in the’19 series. Jackson, however, did receive a $5,000 payment according to records.
So he made a mistake. His actions indicate little (if any) foul play in the way of performance. Should he make it in?
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