{{Short description|American baseball player (born 1944)}} {{for|the American football coach|Sonny Jackson (American football)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography | name = Sonny Jackson | width = 200 | image = 1987 Best - Sonny Jackson (portrait crop).jpg | caption = Jackson as a coach with the Greenville Braves {{circa}} 1987 | position = Shortstop / Outfielder | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1944|07|09}} | birth_place = Washington, D.C., U.S. | bats = Left | throws = Right | debutleague = MLB | debutdate = September 27 | debutyear = 1963 | debutteam = Houston Colt .45s | finalleague = MLB | finaldate = July 9 | finalyear = 1974 | finalteam = Atlanta Braves | statleague = MLB | stat1label = Batting average | stat1value = .251 | stat2label = Home runs | stat2value = 7 | stat3label = Runs batted in | stat3value = 162 | teams = '''As player''' *Houston Colt .45s / Astros ({{Baseball year|1963}}–{{Baseball year|1967}}) *Atlanta Braves ({{Baseball year|1968}}–{{Baseball year|1974}}) '''As coach''' * Atlanta Braves ({{mlby|1982}}–{{mlby|1983}}) * San Francisco Giants ({{mlby|1997}}–{{mlby|2002}}) * Chicago Cubs ({{mlby|2003}}–{{mlby|2006}}) }} [[File:SFG1997R15JACKSON.png|thumb|The 1997 San Francisco Giants #15 jersey Jackson wore for the Giants' away games]] '''Roland Thomas''' "'''Sonny'''" '''Jackson''' (born July 9, 1944) is an American former baseball shortstop and outfielder for the Houston Colt .45's / Astros (1963–67) and Atlanta Braves (1968–74).
Jackson led the National League in singles (160) and sacrifice hits (27) in 1966. He helped the Braves win the NL Western Division in 1969.
In 12 seasons he played in 936 games and had 3,055 at bats, 396 runs, 767 hits, 81 doubles, 28 triples, 7 home runs, 162 RBI, 126 stolen bases, 250 walks, .251 batting average, .308 on-base percentage, .303 slugging percentage, 925 total bases, 57 sacrifice hits, 17 sacrifice flies and 11 intentional walks.
Jackson's best year at the plate came in his "rookie" season of 1966. Although he had played at the major league level for parts of three seasons before, Jackson qualified as a rookie in 1966. He had a .292 batting average and three home runs in 596 trips to the plate. The same year he stole 49 bases, which tied the then-MLB rookie single-season record set by Rollie Zeider in 1910.{{efn|Broken by Gene Richards with 56 in 1977<ref>{{cite news|title=Padres' rookie ties steal mark|date=September 23, 1977|newspaper=The Xenia Daily Gazette|agency=AP|page=7|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3148852/|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=September 3, 2015}}{{open access}}</ref>}}
After his playing days, Jackson continued to be active in baseball. He was a coach and manager for several minor league teams in the Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants organization and a coach with the Giants major league team.
==See also== * Houston Astros award winners and league leaders
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Baseballstats| br=j/jacksso01| fangraphs=1006313| retro=}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Sonny}} Category:1944 births Category:Living people Category:Houston Colt .45s players Category:Houston Astros players Category:Atlanta Braves players Category:Major League Baseball shortstops Category:Major League Baseball center fielders Category:San Francisco Giants coaches Category:Atlanta Braves coaches Category:Major League Baseball third base coaches Category:Hawaii Islanders players Category:Iowa Oaks players Category:Richmond Braves players Category:Oklahoma City 89ers players Category:Modesto Colts players Category:San Antonio Bullets players Category:Baseball players from Washington, D.C. Category:African-American baseball players Category:African-American baseball coaches Category:20th-century American sportsmen