1934-1936 Diamond Stars: #63 "Stonewall" Jackson

Sunday, June 26, 2022

#63 "Stonewall" Jackson - New York Giants

Travis Calvin Jackson

New York Giants

Shortstop

Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 5'10" Weight: 160

Born: November 2, 1903, Waldo, AR

Major League Teams: New York Giants 1922-1936

World Series Appearances: New York Giants 1923, 1924, 1933, 1936

Died: July 27, 1987, Waldo, AR (83)

Hall of Fame Induction: 1982

Travis Jackson earned the nickname "Stonewall" due to his incredible range at shortstop, and his ability to form a wall in front of the outfield when fielding his position. Considered one of the best shortstops of his era, Jackson spent his entire 15-year major league career with the Giants. He helped his team to four National League pennants, and was a key member of the 1933 Giants squad that defeated the Washington Senators in five games in the 1933 World Series. Often missing playing time due to illness or injury, Jackson still earned MVP votes in seven different seasons. He batted over .300 in six seasons, including a career-high .339 in 1930. Perhaps Jackson's best season was 1929 when he batted .294 with a career-high 21 home runs and 94 RBIs. In 1934, on his way to a 101-RBI season, Jackson was named the starting shortstop for the National League All-Stars.

He retired as a player in 1936 with 1,768 hits and a .291 lifetime batting average. Jackson continued his baseball career managing various minor league teams until 1960. He was inducted by the Veterans Committee into the Hall of Fame in 1982.

Building the Set

June 17, 2022 from Los Angeles, CA (Greg Morris Cards) - Card #57

I first became familiar with Greg Morris Cards while bidding on a series of the dealer's auctions for 1965 Topps cards needed for our set build. This seller's cards are often in fantastic shape, with final winning bids of the auctions often exceeding what I'd be willing to pay. While browsing eBay in early June, I placed a half dozen or so bids on Diamond Stars cards, starting with my best and final offer, and waiting for the clock to tick down to the auctions' close. I lost all but the auction for this Jackson card, which I won for what I considered to be a relatively low price. The top left corner of the card was bent at some point, but the colors are crisp, the card is clean and all four corners are fairly sharp. Not bad for a card of a Hall of Famer.

Variations Available

1 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1935 copyright

The Card / Giants Team Set

The write-up on the back of the card incorrectly predicted Jackson had "years of athletic service left," and it foreshadows this bad prediction with the line, "he was handicapped by a knee injury which nearly ended his career in 1932." The narrative continues by complimenting Jackson's ability to both hit and field at an above average level.

1935 Season

Having moved to third base, Jackson appeared in 128 games for the Giants, batting .301 with nine home runs and 80 RBIs. His RBI tally was third on the club behind Mel Ott (#50) and Hank Leiber, who had 114 and 107 respectively, and his move to third was needed to make room for Dick Bartell (#15), recently acquired from the Phillies. His SABR biography notes Jackson's knees were an issue throughout this season, and 1936 would be his last in the majors.