Today
we have a “not so missing” 1978 card for former outfielder Bob Jones,
who stuck around the Majors for parts of nine seasons over 13 years:
Jones appeared in 14 games for the California Angels in 1977, hitting
.176 with three hits over 17 at-bats including a homer with three runs
batted in.
This was after somewhat of a break-through season of 1976 when he
appeared in 78 games, collecting 187 plate-appearances, even if he hit
only .211 with 35 hits over 166 official at-bats.
In 1978 he had an excellent season in the Minor Leagues, hitting .307
with 14 homers and 102 RBIs, but never got a call up to the Big leagues,
prompting him to go to Japan where he played for the Chunichi Dragons
before coming back and suiting up for the Texas Rangers in 1981 when he
played in 10 games.
He’d spend all of 1982 in the Minor Leagues again, but in 1983 made it
back, where he’d play out his career through the 1986 seasons.
By the time he left the Majors in 1986, he finished with a career .221
batting average, with 133 hits over 603 at-bats in 314 games, with 20
home runs and 86 RBIs.
After his playing days, he pretty much made himself a baseball lifer,
becoming a coach and Minor League manager in the Texas organization,
eventually becoming the franchise’s all-time winning Minor League
manager with 1285 career wins.