Willie Edward Jones (August 16, 1925 – October 18, 1983), nicknamed "Puddin' Head", was an American professional baseball third baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies (1947–1959), Cleveland Indians (1959), and Cincinnati Reds (1959–1961). He batted and threw right-handed.
In a 15-season career, Jones was a .258 hitter with 190 home runs and 812 runs batted in (RBI) in 1,691 games played. Defensively, he recorded a .963 fielding percentage.
Early life
Jones was born on August 16, 1925, in Dillon, South Carolina. Jones, his brother and sister grew up and lived in the small farm and mill community of Laurel Hill, North Carolina. His father, W. H. Jones, was a master mechanic. Jones attended Laurel Hill High School. He also played American Legion baseball during the summers in Bennettsville, South Carolina. Jones went on to serve his country in the United States Navy during World War II.
Jones was given his nickname "Puddin' head" at a young age from a popular 1930s song, "Woodenhead, Puddin' head Jones", though his family called him Ed or Edward (his middle name).
In 1947, after showing up in training camp out of shape, he was assigned to the Terre Haute Phillies of the Class-B Triple-I league, where he had a .307 batting average, with 10 home runs, 9 triples, 37 doubles, 107 runs batted in (RBI), 99 runs scored, and an .854 OPS (on-base plus slugging). He played shortstop that year and had a .928 fielding percentage. He made the league's All-Star team at shortstop.
In 1948, he played his last year of minor league baseball, mainly with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Triple-A International League, batting .275 in 118 games. He was moved to third base where he had a .936 fielding percentage. He played under his future Phillies manager Eddie Sawyer, and was named to the league's All-Star team at third base. He again started 17 games for the Philadelphia Phillies at third base, hitting .333 in sixty at bats. His 16-game hit streak to begin that campaign was a franchise record that stood for 73 years until Bryson Stott surpassed it on April 18, 2023. He hit .286 in the World Series, which the New York Yankees won 4–0. He was generally acknowledge as the NL's best third baseman. the seven at bats being the most by a player in an All-Star Game.
In 1951, Jones hit 22 home runs with 81 RBIs and a career-high .285 batting average. His .966 fielding percentage was third best in the National League, and he led the league in double plays and games played by a third baseman.
thumb|left|200px|Jones tags Birmingham Barons' Russ Snyder during exhibition on April 4, 1954 at [[Rickwood Field]] From 1952 to 1958 he led all National League third baseman in fielding percentage, except in 1957 when he was second. In 1953 and 1958, he led all major league third basemen in fielding percentage.
The Gold Glove fielding award did not exist until 1957, or it is possible Jones would have received this award. Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts, who played with Jones in Philadelphia, and with 16-time gold glove third baseman Brooks Robinson in Baltimore, said that Jones was the second-best fielding third baseman he had ever seen (behind Robinson).
In 13 seasons with the Phillies, Jones hit .258, with 180 home runs, 753 RBIs, 735 runs scored, 693 bases on balls (compared to only 493 strikeouts), and a .756 OPS. Jones had a .269 batting average at the time, and had started 46 games for the Phillies. After appearing in only 11 games for Cleveland, his rights were sold to the Cincinnati Reds less than one month later. His playing time was significantly reduced in 1960 for the Reds, and the Reds released him in May of 1961, his final year in the major leagues.
Jones is a member of the Phillies Wall of Fame.
Highlights
- Twice All-Star (1950–51)
- Tied a major league record with four straight doubles in a game (April 20, 1949)
- His six career grand slams as a Phillie ties him for third place behind Mike Schmidt and Ryan Howard
- His 2,045 career putouts are 11th-highest in major league history (as of 2025)
- Compiled a career 1.39 walk-to-strikeout ratio (755-to-541)
- Eight RBI in a game