Former Astros Hitting Coach Receives Proclamation

Sugar Land Space Cowboys special advisor receives proclamation for helping bring professional baseball to Sugar Land.

On Monday, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, announced that special advisor Deacon Jones would be receiving a proclamation from Fort Bend County Judge KP George.

Jones received a proclamation for helping bring a professional baseball team to Sugar Land on Tuesday at the Fort Bend County Commissioners Court.

Jones has been a special advisor to Sugar Land since the inaugural season of 2012, when the team started as the Skeeters and as independent. He was first in command to bring eyes to the new franchise throughout Fort Bend County.

While bringing baseball to the city, Jones also worked in providing tickets for games at Constellation field to underserved communities since 2012.

With over 60 years of work in professional baseball, Jones still remains with the Space Cowboys to his day. While a former Major League Baseball player, Jones made his major-league debut with the Chicago White Sox in 1962, appearing in three major-league seasons with the White Sox.

Most of his playing career came in the Minor Leagues with 11 years under his belt. Jones still holds the Midwest League record for the highest single-season batting average (.409), when he was with the Dubuque Packers in 1956.

After retiring, Jones continued his baseball career as a scout, before coaching and managing minor-league baseball teams for the White Sox until 1973. Later, Jones worked as the hitting coach for the Astros from 1976-1982, as well as the San Diego Padres from 1984-1987.

Following his time in a major-league dugout, Jones was a minor-league hitting coach for the Baltimore Orioles as well as a liaison with minority communities.

Jones’ No. 4, which he wore for parts of his playing career, was retired by Sugar Land in 2019. In his major-league career, he wore No. 50 for the White Sox.