Minor League Memories: The James Jones interview (June 2011)
The once and future pitcher
Originally published June 15, 2011
For background and context into what this is, read this explainer
Mariners prospect James Jones is a long way from his New York roots, from a LIU-Brooklyn star to Advanced-A High Desert. Jones was a pitcher/outfielder in his three years at LIU, pitching around 50 innings and stepping to the plate for around 175 at-bats each season. The Blackbirds went 6–21 in 2009, but Jones was the standout, belting nine home runs with 32 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. He also led the LIU staff with 64 strikeouts and tossed 69.2 innings, second-best on the team.
Seattle snapped up Jones in the fourth round of the 2009 Draft and made him a full-time right fielder in the Minors. The 6-foot-4 left-handed hitter responded with a 12-homer campaign at Class-A Clinton last season, his first full year at the pro level. He also showed off his speed with 10 triples, 24 doubles, and 24 stolen bases.
Jones said the Mariners are working with him on every aspect of his offensive game, proving their investment in him as much as he’s proving he belongs. “[It’s] baserunning, hitting, and being consistent every day,” said Jones, who is hitting .210 with two homers and six steals in 51 games this season.
Jones has terrific bat speed, thanks to quick hands, which he attributes to both seeing a lot of pitches and working with the Mariners strength and conditioning coaches. However, he admitted he’s not comfortable at the plate right now, but he’s trying to find his groove.
“I’m working on getting back to being productive for the team,” he said.
He will have a tall order to fill if he makes it to the Major Leagues with Seattle. Ichiro stands in right field, currently Jones’ position in High Desert. The Mariners want to keep him there, but Jones said he isn’t thinking about that.
“Worry about the level that you’re in,” he said. “Continue to prove that every day. If you do that, you won’t have to worry about what’s ahead.”
As for pitching, Jones still can throw 95 mph from the left side and has a long, lean frame — not a bad formula to fall back on.
Where are they now?
Jones returned to High Desert for a full season in 2012 where he had the best year of his career as a hitter: a .306 average, 14 home runs, and 109 runs scored. He maintained his great speed and baserunning smarts, good for 26 steals with the Mavericks that year. Jones stayed sharp between the 2011 and 2012 seasons by playing in 45 games with the Adelaide Bite of the Australian Baseball League.
He climbed the ladder through the higher levels of the Mariners org in 2013 and 2014 and made his Major League debut on April 18, 2014. Jones collected a hit in his first at-bat, then was sent back down to Triple-A Tacoma after the game. He was back in the Mariners lineup by early May, and on May 18, Jones joined Hall of Famer Edgar Martínez as the only players in Mariners history to hit safely in each of their first ten MLB starts. Two days later, Jones set a Mariners team record with a hit in each of his first 13 MLB starts.
The hot start wasn’t enough to keep Jones in Seattle. At the end of the 2015 season, the Mariners traded Jones to Texas. A new team brought an opportunity to utilize an old talent for Jones: he restarted his career as a pitcher in 2016 in the Rangers system. The transition was bumpy, with Tommy John surgery that cost him the entire 2017 season.
After pitching 30.2 innings between four different levels in the Rangers org in 2018, Jones found the success he’d been looking for on the mound in 2019 in Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Nashville: a 3.52 ERA with 71 strikeouts over 64 innings and winning the inaugural Texas Rangers 2019 Minor League True Ranger Award as the minor league player that “best represents the core values of the organization in a positive light both on and off the field.” He stuck with the Rangers org for the next few seasons (minus the 2020 season that was canceled due to COVID) before becoming a free agent in 2022.
The Dallas Morning News published a great feature piece on Jones in his own words: his career with the Mariners, why he chose to convert to pitching full time, and how he was progressing through the change. The article is three years old, but it has a lot of relevant information. It’s a highly recommended read.
Jones is trying to catch on with the Dodgers this season. So far he’s pitched in one game for Triple-A Oklahoma City on April 25. He faced nine batters in 2 innings. You can see him pitching in a spring training game here:
Like Billy Hamilton, it’s a complete mystery to me why James Jones isn’t an everyday player somewhere, as an outfielder or pitcher. He has the goods to play both positions well. He made an impression on the fans enough for someone to make a highlight video of his best plays in 2014 — and he’s proven he belongs at my table with the stirrup socks look:
I really want James Jones to succeed. He’s 34, which is not old for the earth but approaching old age on the baseball spectrum. I’ve seen weirder things happen in this sport; why can’t a mid-30s career minor leaguer break through? There’s a precedent for players who left pitching behind to become a hitter (as we’ll get to with In the Margins later this week). Baseball is an unpredictable thing and if anyone can harness the whammy energy of MLB and ride the wave to a starting job, it’s James Jones.
Stupid joke of the week
Get Carter, in reference to Chris Carter joining the Stockton Ports on June 6 on a rehab assignment. He played six games, slugged three homers, and drove in seven runs while making all but one of his starts at first base.
The pop culture reference is the film Get Carter, the 1971 version starring Michael Caine and the 2000 version starring Sylvester Stallone.
Next week
One thing is for certain: we’re going back to the Midwest League. But for how long: a brief mention in a minor leaguer’s career or things that are actually happening currently? I’ll tell you when I decide which one to write about.
Related entries in this series:
David Chavarria: Coaching since 2001
