Each year, since 2014, Baseball Roundtable has announced a John Paciorek Award (JPA) honoree. The JPA recognizes players who have had short, sometimes very short, major-league careers, but whose accomplishments, nonetheless, deserve recognition. Past winners have included: a player who collected at least one base hit in every MLB game he played; a player whose every MLB hit (three safeties in nine career at bats) was a home run; a player who had only one MLB at bat, but earned a World Series ring and a Purple Heart; a war hero who pitched in the majors on one leg; and much more. There are links to the bios of past honorees later in this post.
(Note: Information on John Paciorek’s career – the inspiration for the JPA – can be found at the end of this post. Paciorek’s day in the sun constitutes arguably the best one-game MLB career ever.)
This year’s John Paciorek Award honoree is 6′-4″, 255 lb. 155-lb. DH/1B Larry “Bucky” Jacobsen, whose active MLB career lasted 7 1/2 weeks (Mariners) in 2004, but whose perseverance, passion for the game, power and personality made a fan favorite in Seattle.
When Jacobsen made it to the big leagues with the Mariners in mid-July or 2004, he had a look about him that made you anticipate power. He was clearly a “big” big leaguer. Conservatively 6’4” and 255 pounds, with a bald head, a red beard, broad shoulders, huge biceps and a big smile, he looked like he could be downing trees and selling Brawny(R) paper towels. And, it didn’t take nim long to show Seattle fans that he was in the “lumber” business. In his first three MLB games (in Seattle), he went five-for-eight (.625), with two home runs, four runs scored, five RBI, four walks (.769 OBP) and three strikeouts.
But, I’m getting ahead of the Jacobsen story. The fact is, Jacobsen’s trip to the big leagues (and his brief stay) demanded perseverance and commitment.
Jacobsen was a seventh-round pick (Brewers) in the 1997 MLB Draft – out of Lewis-Clark State College (Lewiston, Idaho), where – in his final college season (1997) – he hit .354-22-73 and was named the team’s most valuable player.
In six seasons in the Brewers minor-league system, Jacobsen hit .295, with 94 home runs and 501 RBI (in 550 games). He built a reputation as a big man, with broad shoulders and bulging biceps, a quick and friendly smile and the ability to launch baseballs into orbit. Yet, he still hadn’t gotten a taste of the big leagues. Along the way, he also suffered a knee injury (2001 collision with a tarp) that, while it may have hampered his mobility, did not seem to impact his ability to pulverize baseballs. (That knee injury would eventually require multiple surgeries and cut short his career on the field.)
In mid-June, 2002, Jacobsen (hitting .253-11-39 for the Brewer’ Huntsville Double-A club) was released by the Brewers and quickly signed as a free agent with the Cardinals. He finished the season hitting .294-4-21 in 34 games for the St. Louis Double-A New Haven Ravens. The Cardinals released Jacobsen after the season (October of 2002), then resigned him in December. He continued to persevere and had a great season for the Double-A Tennessee Smokies in 2003 (.298-31-84 in 131 games); leading the league in home runs, runs scored and total bases, finishing second in RBI. And third in slugging percentage.
Despite that performance, October, once again, did not seem to be a lucky month for Jacobsen, as the Cardinals released him in October of 2003. However, his luck, was about to change.
Jacobsen signed with a free agent with the Mariners on November 10, 2004 and his career skyrocketed with the Mariners’ Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers. After 82 games with Tacoma, he had a .312 average, with 26 home runs and 86 RBI. And, now in his eighth professional season, Jacobsen finally was called up to “The Show” – the night after he won the Pacific Coast League All Star Game Home Run Derby (where it was reported he launched one shot of more than 500-feet). Side note: It wasn’t his first Home Run Derby win. In 2000, Jacobsen won the Southern League All Star Game Home Run Derby.
Show-time for Jacobsen was short, but memorable – and deserving of a spot on the Baseball Roundtable John Paciorek Award honorees list.
Jacobsen made his MLB debut on July 16, 2004 (Indians at Mariners) for the 33-54 Mariners, whose fans were looking for some good news (beyond Ichiro Suzuki’s .320 average). They found it in Jacobsen, who in his first three games went 5-for-8 (.625), with four walks (.750 on-base percentage), two home runs, five RBI and four runs scored. He smacked his third home run in his sixth game (July 21) – a walk-off homer on the first pitch in the bottom of the tenth inning to give the Mariners a 6-5 win over the A’s.
Jacobsen quickly developed a fan following (and proved to be especially fan friendly– quick to sign autographs and talk to fans at the ballpark and outside of it.) Over his first 42 games, he also continued to show solid power (.275-9-28), hitting safely in 32 games and recording ten multi-hit and eight multi-RBI contests. Ultimately, his power, performance, personality and ties to the region (while he was born in Wyoming, he went to high school in Hermiston, Oregon and college in Pendleton, Oregon and Lewiston, Idaho) made him and instant hero in Seattle (keeping in mind that he plied his baseball skills for eight seasons in the minors to get there.)
Unfortunately, that past knee injury caught up with him, benched him in September and led to multiple surgeries and an end to his big-league career. (From 2005 through 2007, Jacobsen did suit up in Triple-A, High-A, Rookie ball, the Independent Atlantics League and in Mexico.) Jacobsen is currently one of the hosts of “Chuck and Buck in the Morning” on Sports Radio 93.3 KJR (Seattle).
Primary Resources: stathead.com; lcwarriors.com, website of the Lewis-Clark State College Warriors; Coaches Recall Big League Bucky, East Oregonian, August 7, 2004; Bucky Jacobsen Too Big to Ignore, By David Andriesen, Seattle-Post Intelligencer, July 15, 2004); Whatever Happened to Bucky Jacobsen?, by Geoff Bake, Seattle Times, January 21, 2007; Biggest Batter Blasts Most Homers at Derby, by Todd Shanesy, goupstate.com, June 20, 2000.
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PAST JPA HONOREES
Here’s a look at – and links to – past JPA Award honorees:
2014 – Brian Scott Dallimore
In his first start (not his first game) for the 2004 Giants, Dallimore had two singles, a Grand Slam (his first MLB hit and only MLB home run), a walk and a hit by pitch. For the full JPA take on Dallimore’s 27- game MLB career, click here.
2015 – Roy Gleason
Gleason played in just eight MLB games, had a double in his only MLB at bat – but also earned a World Series ring (1963) and a Purple Heart. Ultimately, he was the only ballplayer with MLB experience to serve on the front lines in Vietnam. For the full JPA take on Gleason, click here. Note: Gleason’s life is detailed in the book “Lost in the Sun – Roy Gleason’s Odyssey from the Outfield to the Battlefield.”
2016 – John Allen Miller
Miller played just 32 MLB games (during the 1966 and 1969 seasons), taking the field (at 1B/LF/3B/2B) for the Yankees and Dodgers. Miller collected ten hits in 61 MLB at bats (.164 average) and hit just two home runs – but he made those long balls count – becoming one of just two players in MLB history to homer in their first and final official appearances in a major-league batter’s box. For more on Miller, click here.
2017 – Chris Saenz
RHP Chris Saenz’ big day came on April 24, 2004 – when he was called up from Double-A Huntsville (where he was 1-1, 3.86) to make a spot start against the Saint Louis Cardinals, whose powerful lineup included the likes of Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds and Reggie Sanders. The rookie went six innings, giving up just two hits, three walks and no runs, while fanning seven. Two days after this debut, he was on his way back to Huntsville, where he suffered an elbow injury and never returned to the majors. Statistics before 1900 can be sketchy, but baseball-reference.com shows that Saenz is the only pitcher to complete a one-game MLB career of at least five innings pitched, without giving up a single run (earned or unearned). For more details on this JPA honoree, click here.
2018 – Keith McDonald
McDonald’s MLB career (Cardinals 2000-2001) covered just eight games and 11 plate appearances (nine at bats) and three hits – but he made them count. All of McDonald’s safeties were home runs – making him the only MLB player with more than one career hit who can look back on major league career in which his every hit was a home run. .For the full story, click here.
2019 – Harley Hisner
Hisner’s MLB tenure encompassed the day of September 30, 1951. That’s when the 24-year-old righty faced the New York Yankees – and a lineup that included five future Hall of Famers: Mickey Mantle in RF; Joe DiMaggio in CF; Phil Rizzuto at SS; Johnny Mize at 1B; and Yogi Berra behind the plate. In his very first MLB inning, Hisner faced five batters, four of them future Hall of Famers, and gave up two singles and no runs. His place in history? One of those singles was Joe DiMaggio’s last MLB safety. For more on Hisner and his ongoing involvement in and love of the game (he went on to earn the Northeast Indiana Baseball Association Colin Lister Award for “dedication to the game of baseball and its historic legacy,” click here.
2020 – Bert Shepard
Shepard set aside his baseball mound dreams in 1943 – after four minor-league seasons – to enlist in the U.S. Army, where he became a P-38 Lightning fighter pilot. Shepard was shot down on his 34th combat mission and, while a prisoner of war, his wounds resulted in the amputation of his right leg below the knee. Upon his release (a prisoner exchange), Shepard did not surrender his dreams and fought his way to the major leagues. He made one major-league appearance (for the Washington Senators), pitching 5 1/3 innings of three-hit, one-run ball. While Shepard’s MLB career consisted of that sole appearance, he did continue to pitch, coach and manage in minor leagues – and his story proved an inspiration for disabled veterans. For more of Bert Shepard story, click here.
2021 – Henry Schmidt
Henry Martin Schmidt didn’t make it to the big leagues until eight seasons after his professional (minor-league) debut. In fact, he was just two months shy of his 30th birthday when he first took the major-league mound. Why did it take so long? Simple answer – location. He had considerable difficulty “locating” his pitches. While it took a long time for Schmidt to make it to the major leagues, it didn’t take him long to leave MLB. He lasted just one season – and is the only pitcher in MLB history who was a 20-game winner in his only major league season. Why was his MLB career so short? Simple answer – location. He did not care for the geographic “location” of major-league baseball. For more on Henry Schmidt’s unusual career, click here.
2022 – Karl Spooner
Southpaw Spooner holds a share of the record for strikeouts in an MLB debut (15) and also threw complete-game shutouts in each of his first two starts. After earning a late September (1954) call-up (to the Dodgers), the 23-year-old rookie was thrown right into the fire – starting on September 26 against the league-leading and Dodgers’ chief rival Giants. His 27 strikeouts in his first two appearances also remain an MLB record. A shoulder injury suffered in 1955 Spring Training cut Spooner’s career short. He didn’t get his first start of the 1955 season until May 15 and finished the season, his last in the major leagues, 8-6, 3.65 in 29 games (14 starts). Spooner pitched for three more seasons in the minors, but never recaptured 1954 glory. For the full Karl Spooner story, click here.
2023 – Glenn Williams
Williams had a 13-game major-league career – all in June of 2005 and all with the Minnesota Twins. Over his 13-games in “The Show,” Williams hit a robust .425 and collected at least one hit in every game he played. Williams holds the MLB record for the longest MLB career for a player who was never held hitless in any MLB game he appeared in. For the full Glenn William story, click here.
2024 – Irv Waldon
Waldron, who played just one MLB season (1901) , still holds the record for base hits (186), runs scored (102) and total bases (226) by a player who played just one MLB campaign. Further, Waldron made his “jump” from the minor leagues to the majors without changing cities, teams or even leagues, For the full Waldron story, click here.
—–INSPIRATION FOR THE JPA—–
John Paciorek – signed out of Saint Ladislaus High School in Hamtramck, Michigan (where he had starred in football, basketball and baseball) – appeared in his first major-league game on the final day of the 1963 season (September 29) at the age of 18. The 6’ 1”, 200-pound outfielder had spent the 1963 season with Class-A Modesto Colts. The Colts’ parent club, the Houston Colt .45s (that was the current Astros’ franchise name back then), was suffering through a difficult season. The team was 65-96 going into that final game. Looking to the future, Houston had, in fact, fielded an all-rookie lineup (average age 19) on September 27. Youth was still being served two days later when John Paciorek started his first MLB game. The results were surprising – and worthy of recognition.
Playing right field and batting seventh in a 13-4 win over the NY Mets, Paciorek ended up with three hits and two walks in five plate appearances, with four runs scored and three runs batted in. Perhaps equally surprising is that it was not only Paciorek’s first major-league appearance, it was to be his only MLB appearance. Back pain the following spring, followed by surgery (he played 49 minor league games in 1964 and missed all of the 1965 season), put an end to his MLB playing days. (Paciorek did play in four more minor-league seasons.) Still, you will find John Paciorek in the Baseball Encyclopedia and his is arguably the greatest one-game MLB career ever. Among one-gamers, he holds the record for times on base and runs scored, and shares the record for batting average, on base percentage and RBIs.
Paciorek, by the way, went on to become a high school teacher and multi-sport coach and is the author of the books (Plato and Socrates – Baseball’s Wisest Fans; The Principles of Baseball: And All There Is To Know About Hitting; and If I Knew Then What I Know Now. You also can enjoy Paciorek’s prose (and expertise) at his blog “Paciorek’s Principles of Perfect Practice” by clicking here. You can find out even more about Paciorek in Steven Wagner’s 2015 book Perfect: The Rise and Fall of John Paciorek, Baseball’s Greatest One-Game Wonder.
And for a sample chapter of Paciorek’s upcoming book, “Simplicity – The Principle of Perfection in the Science of the Universe and World of Baseball,” click here.
A final note. John Paciorek’s insight into the national pastime should come as no surprise. Paciorek comes from a true “baseball family.” He was the first born of eight siblings and was followed to the big leagues by younger brothers Jim and Tom Paciorek. (Like John, Jim’s MLB career was short – 48 games for the Brewers in 1987. Brother Tom, however, achieved a .282 average over an 18-season MLB career.
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