Baby Doll Jacobson

William Chester "Baby Doll" Jacobson (August 16, 1890 – January 16, 1977) was an American professional baseball outfielder. He played 11 seasons of Major League Baseball, principally with the St. Louis Browns, between 1915 and 1927. He also played for the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox (1926–1927), Cleveland Indians (1927), and Philadelphia Athletics (1927).

Jacobson was one of the best hitters in the American League during his prime years. He batted above .300 for seven consecutive seasons, including a .355 season in 1920 and a .352 season in 1921. He also hit for power and finished second behind Babe Ruth with 122 RBI in 1922. He compiled a .311 lifetime batting average and twice finished among the top ten in voting for the American League Most Valuable Player Award. During the eight years from 1919 to 1926, Jacobson compiled 1,473 hits, ranking sixth in the major leagues behind Baseball Hall of Famers Sam Rice (1,639), Rogers Hornsby (1,626), Harry Heilmann (1,556), George Sisler (1,495), and Ty Cobb (1,478).

Jacobson was also one of the best defensive outfielders of his era. He set 13 defensive records during his career, and his 488 putouts in 1924 stood as a major league record until 1928 and an American League record until 1948. He also led the major leagues with nine double plays started from the outfield in 1925.

Early years Jacobson was born in 1890 in Cable, Illinois, an unincorporated community that is now part of the Quad Cities Metropolitan Area. His father, Gustaf Jacobson, was a Swedish immigrant who worked as a farmer. His mother, Albatina, was the daughter of Swedish immigrants. Jacobson was the second oldest of five children.

Baseball career

Minor leagues After playing sandlot baseball in 1908 in Orion, Illinois, On opening day of the 1912 season, the band began playing the popular song, "Oh, You Beautiful Doll", as Jacobson came to the plate. Jacobson recalled, "Well I led off with a home run on the first pitch and a lady sitting behind the plate jumped up and shouted, 'You must be that beautiful doll they were talking about.' The name stuck with me and that was it."

After two seasons in Mobile, Jacobson joined the Chattanooga Lookouts in 1914. He appeared in 155 games for Chattanooga in 1914 and set a Southern Association record with 15 home runs. He also compiled a .319 batting average and totalled 64 extra base hits.

Detroit Tigers On April 14, 1915, Jacobson made his major league debut with the Detroit Tigers. As the 1915 Tigers had one of the best outfields in major league history with Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford, and Bobby Veach, manager Hughie Jennings sought to convert Jacobson into a first baseman. Jacobson compiled a .215 batting average in 37 games for the Tigers. On August 18, 1915, the Tigers traded Jacobson with $15,000 to the St. Louis Browns for pitcher Bill James. He missed the entire 1918 season due to military service. His 488 putouts in 1924 was a major league record until 1928 and an American League record until 1948.

During his prime, Jacobson also hit for both average and power. He finished among the league's leaders in batting average in 1919 (.323), 1920 (.355), and 1921 (.352).

Writing in The New York Times, John Kieran later wrote of Jacobson: "There was no style to him at all. He didn't know his own strength. But he went galumphing all over the outfield to haul down long drives and, when he came to the plate, he got even with a lot of fellows who made him sweat in the outfield. He was the Johnny Mize type of hitter; he just overpowered the ball."

1919 to 1926

In 1919, after his discharge from the military, Jacobson played in 120 games for the Browns. During the 1919 season, Jacobson was among the American League leaders with a .323 batting average (7th).453 slugging percentage (8th), 31 doubles (9th), and a 2.92 range factor in center field (2nd).

In 1920, Jacobson had statistically his finest season. He finished second behind Babe Ruth with 122 runs batted in, and his .355 batting average was a career high. Jacobson compiled a .317 batting average in 1922 with 102 RBIs and career highs with 16 triples and 19 stolen bases. He was among the league's leaders in triples (2nd), RBIs (5th), and stolen bases (7th). He also had the second highest range factor (2.74) among all American League outfielders in 1922.

In 1924, Jacobson rebounded and had one of the best seasons of his career. He finished second in the American League behind Ruth in both total bases (306) and extra base hits (72) and third in the league with 19 home runs. He hit for the cycle on April 17 against the White Sox. His 488 putouts were a major league record for outfielders that stood for 24 years. He also finished eighth in the voting for the American League's 1924 Most Valuable Player Award. Jacobson's bat was revitalized in Boston, as he compiled a .305 average in 98 games for the Red Sox in 1926. He finished the season as one of the American League leaders with 51 doubles (4th), 61 extra base hits (6th), 89 RBIs (10th), and 26 sacrifice hits (10th). His .981 fielding percentage also ranked second among the league's center fielders. He reportedly played semipro ball in the Henry County League in 1930.

Family and later years Jacobson was married in 1919 to Vurl Cruse. At the time of the 1930 United States census, he was listed as a farmer in Colona Township, residing with his wife Vurl and their three children, William Jr., Carita and Julian. By the time of the 1940 United States census, Jacobson remained in Colona Township, though his family had by then grown to five children with the addition of sons Ted and Bruce. As of 1942, Jacobson was still self-employed as a farmer in Colona Township.

Jacobson retired from farming in 1960 and died in Orion, Illinois, at the age of 86 and was buried at Dayton Corners Cemetery in Colona, Illinois. At the time of his death, The Sporting News wrote: "Although he never received more than a passing glance in the Hall of Fame voting, Jacobson's credentials are superior to many of the old-timers who have been enshrined."