#127 Willie Jones - Philadelphia Phillies

Willie Edward Jones
Philadelphia Phillies
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  188
Born:  August 16, 1925, Dillon, SC
Signed:  Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent before 1947 season
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 1947-1959; Cleveland Indians 1959; Cincinnati Reds 1959-1961
Died:  October 18, 1983, Cincinnati, OH (age 58)

2006 Toyota Phillies Wall of Fame Postcards

Willie "Puddin' Head" Jones was an All-Star for the Whiz Kids, and before Mike Schmidt came along was considered the best third basemen in Phillies franchise history.  Following his time serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Jones was the regular third baseman for the Phillies between 1949 and 1958, accumulating 180 home runs with the club while batting .258.  He was the top defensive third baseman in the National League in the 1950s, leading the league in fielding percentage at that position six times and currently sitting at 49th on the all-time list.  He topped the league in putouts seven times (11th all-time), assists twice and double plays turned twice.  Jones' best season came in 1950 with the pennant-winning Whiz Kids when he batted .267 while hitting his career highs in home runs (25) and RBIs (88).

Jones retired after 15 seasons with 1,502 career hits and he was inducted posthumously into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1995.

According to his SABR biography, his "Puddin' Head" nickname allegedly came from a 1933 song performed by Rudy Valllee and his Connecticut Yankees:  "Oh Puddin' Head Jones was fat and funny / Dumber than sticks and stones. / Now that is just why the kids all called him / Wooden head, puddin' head Jones."

Building the Set
May 21, 1989 in Millville, NJ - Card #73
My notes indicate we purchased two cards at the "Millville Baseball Card Show IV" on this day - this Jones card for $7.50 and the Granny Hamner (#197) card for $10.  My memory is hazy here, but I think this was a very small show (maybe 12 tables?) held inside the cafeteria at Millville Memorial Junior High School on Broad Street.  My Dad was a guidance counselor there for 30-plus years, and I would have been a student there at the time about to finish up 9th grade.

The Card / Phillies Team Set
Jones embraced his nickname, as evidenced by the facsimile autograph here including his Puddin' Head nickname and not Willie.  In the action shot, it doesn't look as if the home plate umpire has made the call yet so I'm declaring Jones safe at home.  The main head shot is slightly different than what Topps used on Jones' 1954 Topps card.

Two of the three cartoon panels on the back of the card rightfully focus on Jones' defensive skills.  The middle panel mentions his four-double game in 1949.  He accomplished that feat on April 20, 1949 against the Boston Braves, driving in three runs in the process, but with the Phillies still losing to the Braves, 6-5.  Jones hit his doubles off Braves' pitchers Bill Voiselle (3 times) and Nels Potter.

1956 Season

A veteran with the Phillies at this point in his career, Jones appeared in 149 games while batting .277 with 17 home runs and 78 RBIs.  Both home run and RBI marks were third on the club behind catcher Stan Lopata (#183) and left fielder Del Ennis (#220).  Jones started all but five games at third for the Phillies in 1956, missing four games at the start of the season and with Bobby Morgan (#337) filling in for him.

Phillies Career
In 13 seasons with the Phillies, Jones appeared in 1,520 games and his 1,495 games at third base for the team are second only to Schmidt and his 2,212 games.  His RBI total of 753 is currently 10th among all Phillies, and he's also in the franchise top 10 for walks (8th with 694).

As told here in a wonderful article that appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer several years ago, Jones also sold Christmas trees during the offseason.

He was somewhat unexpectedly traded to the Indians on June 6, 1959 for Jim Bolger and cash, and less than a month later the Indians swapped him to the Reds.

1949 Bowman #92

1951 Bowman #112

1953 Topps #88

1959 Topps #208

1961 Topps #497

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1949 Bowman #92
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1951-1954, 1956-1961
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #41

55 - Jones non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/22/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database