Jared Jones

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #3 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 55/High
  
  Track Record: Jones was the Pirates’ third pick in the shortened 2020 draft, but his $2.2 million bonus was the second-highest in their class. He was a two-way talent as an amateur and was a regular on USA Baseball’s national teams. Jones spent all of 2022 at High-A Greensboro, where he racked up a system-high 122.2 innings. His track accelerated in 2023, when he split his season between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Altoona. His 146 strikeouts were tied at the top of the system with 2022 supplemental first-rounder Thomas Harrington.
  
  Scouting Report: In 2022, one of Jones’ biggest focuses was becoming a more mature pitcher and finding a way to respond more constructively to failure. That season, he would let mistakes spiral and begin to overthrow, leading to poor command and big innings for his opponent. A more even keel in 2023 helped Jones blossom, but it wasn’t the only factor. The righthander also altered the way he threw his changeup. Instead of pronating his wrist, he snapped down and through the ball in a way that mimicked his hand action on his four-seam fastball. He also changed the grip on his slider to help him hold its higher-end velocity deeper into games. All together, Jones’ arsenal--fronted by a potentially double-plus mid-90s fastball and a plus high-80s slider and backed by an above-average downer curveball and a fringy changeup--includes weapons for both righties and lefties. After a stellar turn in Double-A, Jones ran into a bit more trouble at Triple-A, where his walk rate dropped but his home run rate rose. He’ll also need to maintain consistency in his delivery, which led to some of his more uneven outings in 2023.
  
  The Future: In 2024, Jones will return to Triple-A, where he’ll work to sharpen his command. He should see the big leagues at some point and has the ceiling of a midrotation starter.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 45
• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #11 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Jones was a two-way star as an amateur and scouts voted him the second-best athlete in the 2020 high school class in Baseball America's best tools series. The Pirates drafted him No. 44 overall that year and signed him to a $2.2 million bonus to buy him out of a commitment to Texas. He made his pro debut with Low-A Bradenton in 2021, then spent all of 2022 with High-A Greensboro in his age-20 season, throwing the most innings (124.1) of any pitcher in Pittsburgh's minor league system.
  
  Scouting Report: Jones' 6-foot frame belies the horsepower in his four-pitch mix. He's a dynamic athlete and his upper-90s fastball can touch 100 mph while boring in on righthanded hitters. Both his breaking balls have plus potential. The slider, in particular, tunnels well with his fastball and gives hitters fits. Jones also throws a firm, upper-80s changeup that lags behind his other pitches. A combination of bad luck (.310 BABIP) and wavering command led to Jones battling high pitch counts and inefficiency, especially early in the season. The Pirates believe he made command improvements, especially with his secondaries, as the season progressed. A demonstrative and fiery competitor, Jones is still learning the finer points of pitching and the Pirates believe he dealt with adversity more effectively in 2022.
  
  The Future: There's some skepticism Jones' size and command hold up over an entire season as a starting pitcher. His electric bat-missing arsenal is suited for a high-leverage relief role if it doesn't.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 70. Curveball: 55. Slider: 60. Changeup: 45. Control: 45
• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #9 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Jones was a famous two-way prospect in high school and was selected for USA Baseball’s Junior National Teams three times as an amateur. The Pirates drafted him in the second round in 2020 and gave him an above-slot $2.2 million to be a full-time pitcher. Jones made his pro debut in 2021 with Low-A Bradenton and missed plenty of bats with 103 strikeouts in 66 innings, but he also struggled with walks and posted a 4.64 ERA in a pitcher-friendly league.
  
  Scouting Report: Jones is a metrics darling with a live arm. His fastball sits 94-96 mph and can touch as high as 99. He throws two distinct, high-spin breaking balls that mirror his fastball and flash plus, though he struggles to consistently locate both at the same time. Jones leans on his mid-to-upper-80s slider more because he commands it better, and he also throws a low-80s curveball with more vertical break. He also mixes in an upper-80s changeup that has average potential. He throws it with good arm speed, but it needs more separation from his fastball. Jones has plenty of stuff but needs to hone his command to showcase it more consistently. His 6-foot frame and effortful delivery may portend a future shift to the bullpen, but he is immensely athletic and the Pirates believe he’ll continue to improve as a starter. He draws raves for his competitiveness on the mound.
  
  The Future: Jones can be downright electric on the right night and shows the ceiling of a mid-rotation starter, but he has a lot of work to do to get there.
  
• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #15 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: Jones was a well-known draft prospect after playing for USA Baseball's Junior National Team three times as a two-way player. The Pirates drafted him 44th overall as a pitcher in 2020 and gave him an above-slot $2.2 million bonus to pry him from a Texas commitment. Jones' father Keith played two seasons in the minors. Cousins Randy and Ron Flores both pitched in the majors.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Jones is undersized but already owns a lively 96-99 mph fastball thanks to his electric arm speed. He pairs it with a sharp, above-average, mid-80s slider, and he is developing a changeup. The Pirates have worked with Jones on adjusting his effortful delivery to improve both his command and control. He showed power potential and above-average speed as a high school outfielder, but he was a bit of a free-swinger and the Pirates typically stick to developing players on one side of the game.
  
  THE FUTURE: Some evaluators peg Jones as a bullpen candidate because of his size and effortful delivery. The Pirates will give him every chance to develop his changeup and remain on a starter track.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #41 prospect in 2020 draft
  Scouts pegged Jones as a future first-round pick as a high school sophomore, and he’s done little to dissuade that notion. A three-time member of USA Baseball’s junior national teams, Jones is a twitchy, explosive athlete who stars both on the mound and in the outfield. His tremendous arm speed generates lively mid-to-upper 90s fastballs, and his elite athleticism has helped him make adjustments to his delivery and gradually improve his command and control. Jones dominates with his fastball, but he flashes a sharp, above-average slider in the mid-80s and is developing his changeup. Jones is slightly undersized and has an effortful delivery, leading some evaluators to project him to the bullpen. His improving command and elite competitiveness lead others to believe he can start. Jones is an above-average runner who gets excellent jumps in the outfield and makes jaw-dropping throws, earning 80 grades on his arm. He flashes big power at the plate, but he’s a free swinger who scouts aren’t sure will make enough contact against better pitching. Jones has strong baseball bloodlines in addition to his talent. His father, Keith, was a 1997 draft pick of the Diamondbacks and played two seasons in the minors. His cousins Randy and Ron Flores both pitched in the majors, and Randy is currently the Cardinals' scouting director. Jones made the right strides with his command this spring to remain a potential first-round talent as a pitcher. He is committed to Texas.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Florida State League #8 prospect in 2021
  Jones ranked as the fifth-best high school righthander in the 2020 draft. He lived up to the hype in his pro debut, ranking fifth in the league with 103 strikeouts. Jones’ arsenal starts with a fastball that sat in the mid 90s and frequently touched the high 90s. Jones backs his fastball with a pair of breaking balls with plus potential. He has better command of his slider but his curveball gets more swings and misses. Jones throws his changeup with conviction to both sides of the plate and it has average potential. Jones’ command and control must improve—he walked nearly five hitters per nine innings—but his pure stuff is outstanding.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #26 prospect in 2024
• Ranked Baseball America's #59 prospect in 2023

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Jones was a two-way star as an amateur and scouts voted him the second-best athlete in the 2020 high school class in Baseball America's best tools series. The Pirates drafted him No. 44 overall that year and signed him to a $2.2 million bonus to buy him out of a commitment to Texas. He made his pro debut with Low-A Bradenton in 2021, then spent all of 2022 with High-A Greensboro in his age-20 season, throwing the most innings (124.1) of any pitcher in Pittsburgh's minor league system.
  
  Scouting Report: Jones' 6-foot frame belies the horsepower in his four-pitch mix. He's a dynamic athlete and his upper-90s fastball can touch 100 mph while boring in on righthanded hitters. Both his breaking balls have plus potential. The slider, in particular, tunnels well with his fastball and gives hitters fits. Jones also throws a firm, upper-80s changeup that lags behind his other pitches. A combination of bad luck (.310 BABIP) and wavering command led to Jones battling high pitch counts and inefficiency, especially early in the season. The Pirates believe he made command improvements, especially with his secondaries, as the season progressed. A demonstrative and fiery competitor, Jones is still learning the finer points of pitching and the Pirates believe he dealt with adversity more effectively in 2022.
  
  The Future: There's some skepticism Jones' size and command hold up over an entire season as a starting pitcher. His electric bat-missing arsenal is suited for a high-leverage relief role if it doesn't.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 70. Curveball: 55. Slider: 60. Changeup: 45. Control: 45
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Jones was a two-way star as an amateur and scouts voted him the second-best athlete in the 2020 high school class in Baseball America's best tools series. The Pirates drafted him No. 44 overall that year and signed him to a $2.2 million bonus to buy him out of a commitment to Texas. He made his pro debut with Low-A Bradenton in 2021, then spent all of 2022 with High-A Greensboro in his age-20 season, throwing the most innings (124.1) of any pitcher in Pittsburgh's minor league system.
  
  Scouting Report: Jones' 6-foot frame belies the horsepower in his four-pitch mix. He's a dynamic athlete and his upper-90s fastball can touch 100 mph while boring in on righthanded hitters. Both his breaking balls have plus potential. The slider, in particular, tunnels well with his fastball and gives hitters fits. Jones also throws a firm, upper-80s changeup that lags behind his other pitches. A combination of bad luck (.310 BABIP) and wavering command led to Jones battling high pitch counts and inefficiency, especially early in the season. The Pirates believe he made command improvements, especially with his secondaries, as the season progressed. A demonstrative and fiery competitor, Jones is still learning the finer points of pitching and the Pirates believe he dealt with adversity more effectively in 2022.
  
  The Future: There's some skepticism Jones' size and command hold up over an entire season as a starting pitcher. His electric bat-missing arsenal is suited for a high-leverage relief role if it doesn't.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 70. Curveball: 55. Slider: 60. Changeup: 45. Control: 45
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Jones was a famous two-way high school prospect, appearing for USA Baseball&#39s junior national teams three times, before the Pirates signed him to an above-slot $2.2 million deal in 2020 and made him a full-time pitcher. Jones spent all of 2021 with Low-A Bradenton and missed plenty of bats, striking out 103 batters in 66 innings.
  
  Scouting Report: Jones is a metrics darling with a live arm. His fastball sits 94-96 and can touch as high as 99 mph. He throws two distinct breaking balls that mirror his fastball and flash plus, although he struggled to consistently locate both at the same time. Jones leans on the mid-to-upper-80s slider more frequently because he commands it better, and also throws a low-80s curveball with more vertical break about 10% of the time. Both pitches averaged more than 2600 RPMs in spin. He also mixes in an upper-80s changeup that evaluators think has average potential because he throws it with good arm speed, although Pittsburgh would like to see more separation from the fastball. The combination of ingredients creates one of the loudest arsenals in Pittsburgh&#39s system, but Jones needs to hone his command to showcase it more consistently. Some scouts wonder if his combination of size and effortful delivery portends a future shift to the bullpen. Jones is immensely athletic, though, leading the Pirates to believe he&#39ll continue to improve. He also draws raves internally for his competitiveness on the mound.
  
  The Future: On the right night, Jones is downright electric, showing the ceiling of a potential No. 2 or No. 3 starter, but there&#39s plenty of work to be done to get there.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60. Curveball: 55. Slider: 60. Changeup: 50. Control: 45.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Jones was a famous two-way prospect in high school and was selected for USA Baseball’s Junior National Teams three times as an amateur. The Pirates drafted him in the second round in 2020 and gave him an above-slot $2.2 million to be a full-time pitcher. Jones made his pro debut in 2021 with Low-A Bradenton and missed plenty of bats with 103 strikeouts in 66 innings, but he also struggled with walks and posted a 4.64 ERA in a pitcher-friendly league.
  
  Scouting Report: Jones is a metrics darling with a live arm. His fastball sits 94-96 mph and can touch as high as 99. He throws two distinct, high-spin breaking balls that mirror his fastball and flash plus, though he struggles to consistently locate both at the same time. Jones leans on his mid-to-upper-80s slider more because he commands it better, and he also throws a low-80s curveball with more vertical break. He also mixes in an upper-80s changeup that has average potential. He throws it with good arm speed, but it needs more separation from his fastball. Jones has plenty of stuff but needs to hone his command to showcase it more consistently. His 6-foot frame and effortful delivery may portend a future shift to the bullpen, but he is immensely athletic and the Pirates believe he’ll continue to improve as a starter. He draws raves for his competitiveness on the mound.
  
  The Future: Jones can be downright electric on the right night and shows the ceiling of a mid-rotation starter, but he has a lot of work to do to get there.
  
• October, 2021 Scouting Report
  Jones ranked as the fifth-best high school righthander in the 2020 draft. He lived up to the hype in his pro debut, ranking fifth in the league with 103 strikeouts. Jones’ arsenal starts with a fastball that sat in the mid 90s and frequently touched the high 90s. Jones backs his fastball with a pair of breaking balls with plus potential. He has better command of his slider but his curveball gets more swings and misses. Jones throws his changeup with conviction to both sides of the plate and it has average potential. Jones’ command and control must improve—he walked nearly five hitters per nine innings—but his pure stuff is outstanding.
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Jones was a well-known draft prospect after playing for USA Baseball's Junior National Team three times as a two-way player. The Pirates drafted him 44th overall as a pitcher in 2020 and gave him an above-slot $2.2 million bonus to pry him from a Texas commitment. Jones' father Keith played two seasons in the minors. Cousins Randy and Ron Flores both pitched in the majors.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Jones is undersized but already owns a lively 96-99 mph fastball thanks to his electric arm speed. He pairs it with a sharp, above-average, mid-80s slider, and he is developing a changeup. The Pirates have worked with Jones on adjusting his effortful delivery to improve both his command and control. He showed power potential and above-average speed as a high school outfielder, but he was a bit of a free-swinger and the Pirates typically stick to developing players on one side of the game.
  
  THE FUTURE: Some evaluators peg Jones as a bullpen candidate because of his size and effortful delivery. The Pirates will give him every chance to develop his changeup and remain on a starter track.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Jones was a well-known draft prospect after playing for USA Baseball's Junior National Team three times as a two-way player. The Pirates drafted him 44th overall as a pitcher in 2020 and gave him an above-slot $2.2 million bonus to pry him from a Texas commitment. Jones' father Keith played two seasons in the minors. Cousins Randy and Ron Flores both pitched in the majors.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Jones is undersized but already owns a lively 96-99 mph fastball thanks to his electric arm speed. He pairs it with a sharp, above-average, mid-80s slider, and he is developing a changeup. The Pirates have worked with Jones on adjusting his effortful delivery to improve both his command and control. He showed power potential and above-average speed as a high school outfielder, but he was a bit of a free-swinger and the Pirates typically stick to developing players on one side of the game.
  
  THE FUTURE: Some evaluators peg Jones as a bullpen candidate because of his size and effortful delivery. The Pirates will give him every chance to develop his changeup and remain on a starter track.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Jones was a well-known draft prospect after playing for USA Baseball's Junior National Team three times as a two-way player. The Pirates drafted him 44th overall as a pitcher in 2020 and gave him an above-slot $2.2 million bonus to pry him from a Texas commitment. Jones' father Keith played two seasons in the minors. Cousins Randy and Ron Flores both pitched in the majors.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Jones is undersized but already owns a lively 96-99 mph fastball thanks to his electric arm speed. He pairs it with a sharp, above-average, mid-80s slider, and he is developing a changeup. The Pirates have worked with Jones on adjusting his effortful delivery to improve both his command and control. He showed power potential and above-average speed as a high school outfielder, but he was a bit of a free-swinger and the Pirates typically stick to developing players on one side of the game.
  
  THE FUTURE: Some evaluators peg Jones as a bullpen candidate because of his size and effortful delivery. The Pirates will give him every chance to develop his changeup and remain on a starter track.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  Scouts pegged Jones as a future first-round pick as a high school sophomore, and he’s done little to dissuade that notion. A three-time member of USA Baseball’s junior national teams, Jones is a twitchy, explosive athlete who stars both on the mound and in the outfield. His tremendous arm speed generates lively mid-to-upper 90s fastballs, and his elite athleticism has helped him make adjustments to his delivery and gradually improve his command and control. Jones dominates with his fastball, but he flashes a sharp, above-average slider in the mid-80s and is developing his changeup. Jones is slightly undersized and has an effortful delivery, leading some evaluators to project him to the bullpen. His improving command and elite competitiveness lead others to believe he can start. Jones is an above-average runner who gets excellent jumps in the outfield and makes jaw-dropping throws, earning 80 grades on his arm. He flashes big power at the plate, but he’s a free swinger who scouts aren’t sure will make enough contact against better pitching. Jones has strong baseball bloodlines in addition to his talent. His father, Keith, was a 1997 draft pick of the Diamondbacks and played two seasons in the minors. His cousins Randy and Ron Flores both pitched in the majors, and Randy is currently the Cardinals' scouting director. Jones made the right strides with his command this spring to remain a first-round talent as a pitcher. He is committed to Texas.