Jackie Tavener

Who was Jackie Tavener?

John Adam "Jackie" Tavener, nicknamed "Rabbit," was a professional baseball player from 1921 to 1934. He played all or parts of six seasons in Major League Baseball as a shortstop for the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians.

Tavener was known as one of the smallest men ever to play in the major leagues and was rejected for that reason by Detroit manager Ty Cobb after a two-game tryout in 1921. When he rejoined the Tigers in 1925, Tavener became one of the American League's best defensive shortstops, ranking among the league leaders every year from 1925 to 1928 in putouts, assists, double plays and fielding percentage. Despite a career batting average of .255, Tavener could hit with power and was among the league leaders in triples in 1925, 1926 and 1928. He is also one of only four players in major league history to steal second, third and home in the same inning on more than one occasion.

Tavener also played six seasons with the Fort Worth Panthers in the Texas League and became one of the most popular Panther players. He played on Fort Worth teams that won three pennants and two Dixie Series championships from 1922 to 1924.