Riggs Stephenson

Jackson Riggs Stephenson (January 5, 1898 – November 15, 1985) was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball. Nicknamed Old Hoss, Stephenson played for the Cleveland Indians from to and the rest of his career from to with the Chicago Cubs. Benefiting from the offensive surge of the late 1920s and early 1930s, he retired with a career batting average of .336, although he was only a full-time player from 1927 to 1929 and in 1932, with injuries and platooning limiting his role for the rest of his career.

Early years Artie Pew is attempting to tackle Stephenson. Behind Pew is Puss Whelchel. Born in Akron, Alabama, Stephenson originally played baseball and football at the University of Alabama before he started his professional baseball career. A natural athlete who excelled in both sports, Stephenson had a good reputation at the university. Former University of Alabama president George H. Denny described Riggs as "the embodiment of cleanliness, manliness, and courage." He was an All-Southern fullback in 1919 and 1920. He was nominated though not selected for an Associated Press All-Time Southeast 1869–1919 era team. Stephenson sustained a shoulder injury in a football game in 1920 when he dropped back and was tackled by a pair of linebackers. His injury to his right shoulder was so bad that he had to end his football career as a quarterback, and as a result it greatly affected his throwing abilities. His throwing problems made it difficult for him to turn double plays, but his hitting compensated for those fielding woes. Stephenson quit school at Alabama and immediately made the jump to professional baseball, and continued to play limitedly during the remainder of the season. His weak arm and throwing difficulties weakened his fielding abilities at second base, as seen by the 17 errors he committed in the 54 games he played at the position that season. However, Riggs' hitting compensated for his fielding woes; he hit 17 doubles among his 68 hits during his 65-game season that year. Stephenson batted .330, reaching a mark that he would frequently surpass during the rest of his professional career.

The following season, Stephenson made the transition towards playing third base in the middle of the season. In 34 games at third base, 25 at second base and three in the outfield, he committed 11 errors, a sharp improvement from the previous season.

Stephenson had limited playing time again in , only playing in 71 games. However, he batted a career-best .371 with 89 hits and a .439 on-base percentage. Stephenson collected six hits, including a double in Game 3 and knocked in one and scored three runs. Stephenson's playing time slowly declined. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in . He died at the age of 87 at his Tuscaloosa home after suffering a long illness. He was on the Veterans Committee ballot again in recent years, but failed to pick up any votes.

Career Career Statistics: Hitting