Manager Bobby Jones to be Inducted into Round Rock Express Hall of Fame
ROUND ROCK, Texas – Former Manager Bobby Jones has been selected for induction into the Round Rock Express Hall of Fame, the team announced on Wednesday morning. After deliberation by front office staff and stakeholders, Jones becomes the 11th member and just the second Manager to be selected for the
ROUND ROCK, Texas – Former Manager Bobby Jones has been selected for induction into the Round Rock Express Hall of Fame, the team announced on Wednesday morning. After deliberation by front office staff and stakeholders, Jones becomes the 11th member and just the second Manager to be selected for the team’s prestigious Hall of Fame.
Jones will be honored in a ceremony and plaque reveal prior to the game on Saturday, August 2 at 7:15 p.m. against the El Paso Chihuahuas (San Diego Padres affiliate). The first 2,000 fans will receive an Express reversible jersey presented by H-E-B. One of the two sides of the reversible jersey giveaway will be a replica of the jersey worn by the Express when Jones managed the E-Train from 2011-2013.
In his three seasons as the skipper of the Express, Jones went 229-203 while leading the E-Train to an 87-57 record and a Pacific Coast League American Southern Division title in his first season. The 87 regular season wins are the second-most in club history. After achieving his 1,500th victory as a Minor League Baseball manager in 2011, the City of Round Rock declared August 20 as Bobby Jones Day in honor of his milestone.
“We just had a lot of guys that were hungry,” Jones said about that 2011 season. “Everybody jelled. It was just a fun team and they loved hanging out together and playing. Luckily, we had some guys that got to stay all year long instead of getting called up to the big leagues.”
More than 200 former and current Major Leaguers have played for Jones as a Minor League Baseball manager. Included in that list are former Rangers Will Clark, Juan Gonzalez, Rusty Greer, Robb Nenn, Ivan Rodriguez, Kenny Rogers, Sammy Sosa, Nelson Cruz, Neftali Feliz, Josh Hamilton, Derek Holland, Ian Kinsler, David Murphy and Michael Young.
Jones playing career began in 1967 when he was selected in the 36th round by the Washington Senators. He left baseball to serve 14 months in Vietnam from December 1969 to February 1971 and was awarded a Bronze Medal for his service. While Jones was in the minor leagues, the Senators moved to Arlington and became the Texas Rangers and Jones made his major league debut in 1974 with Texas.
In nine seasons playing for the Rangers (seven seasons) and the California Angels (two seasons), Jones appeared in 314 games as an outfielder and first baseman. Following the end of his playing career in 1986, Jones began his 24-year managerial career in 1988 with the Class-A Charlotte Rangers of the Florida State League.
Of his 24 seasons as a Minor League Baseball manager, Jones’ teams appeared in the postseason 12 times and won two championships (1989 Florida State League Championship, 1998 Texas League Championship). He was the manager for Class-A Charlotte (1988-1990), Double-A Tulsa Drillers (1991-1992, 1995-2000), Triple-A Oklahoma City RedHawks (1993-1994, 2002-2010) and Triple-A Round Rock (2011-2013).
Jones served as the first base coach for the Rangers for a portion of the 2000 season. He returned in 2001 as the third base coach. He went back to Texas as the first base coach in 2006 under manager Buck Showalter. Following his time managing the Express, Jones was the assistant hitting coach for the Rangers in 2014-2015 and in 2016 he became the replay coordinator before retiring after 50 years working in baseball.
The home opener at Dell Diamond is slated for Tuesday, April 1 against the Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers affiliate) at 7:15 p.m. For more information on the Express, visit RRExpress.com or call (512) 255-2255. Keep up with the Express on Facebook, Instagram and X!