No. 4: Willie Jones
With a standout nickname “Puddin’ Head” after the early 1930s song “Puddin’ Head Jones” by Rudy Vallee, Willie Jones certainly made his mark in more ways than one with the Phillies. As one of the longest-tenured Phillies players to man the hot corner, he maintained over a decade of excellence between 1947 and 1959 with the team.
In his 13 years with the ballclub, Jones was a two-time All-Star, averaging close to 18 home runs and 70 RBI in most of the seasons. In total, he hit .258 with a .756 OPS, 735 runs scored, 232 doubles, 180 home runs, and 753 RBI in 1,520 games. In 1950, Jones helped the Phillies go on a surprising run to reach the World Series, only to lose in four straight to the New York Yankees.
Unfortunately, other than the 1950 season, the Phillies failed to have any more success in making the playoffs during Jones’ tenure with the ballclub. However, by being a solid mainstay in their infield over the course of 13 seasons, Jones finished his career ranking second all-time for Phillies third baseman in hits (1,400), walks (693), runs scored and RBI, third in doubles (232) and home runs, and fourth in on-base percentage (.343) and OPS (.756).
Shibe Park, Philadelphia, 7/16/1949 - Cards Joe Garagiola takes the throw home but Phillies Willie Jones is safe pic.twitter.com/C94NeLohtp
— Old-Time Baseball Photos (@OTBaseballPhoto) August 1, 2016
Jones also flashed an exceptional glove as he led all third basemen in the league in fielding percentage in several seasons and probably would have had some Gold Glove Awards under his belt had the accolade been introduced prior to 1957. Nevertheless, his strong play on both sides of the ball help him capture the No. 4 spot on this distinguished list of greatest third basemen in Phillies history.