JaCoby Jones Is Turning Heads In Toledo As He Nears Detroit
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
TOLEDO (CBS Detroit) JaCoby Jones, 24, bounded out of the Mud Hens' dugout on a hot, sticky night in Toledo. He jogged out to center field, his domain for the evening, and took his final warm-up tosses before the top of the first inning. Behind Jones, splattered across the outfield fence, were advertisements for down-the-block companies like Tireman Service Center, TAS Electronics and Buckeye Real Estate Group.
Peeking through this local mosaic were beacons of the big-leagues: McDonalds, Subway, Pepsi. Jones hasn't arrived yet, but he's not far off.
Jones, acquired from the Pirates last season in exchange for Joakim Soria, has scampered up the Minor League ladder without glancing down. He began the 2015 season with Pittsburgh's Single-A affiliate, the Bradenton Marauders, where he was exactly that – a marauder – at the plate. He was promoted to Double-A Altoona in July, before finishing out the season at the same level with Detroit's Erie Sea Wolves. Heading into the 2016 season, Jones was the hottest hitting prospect in the Tigers' organization.
Then came the setback.
In November 2015, Jones was suspended 50 games for his second violation of Major League Baseball's Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The ban would extend into the 2016 season, forcing Jones to sit out the first 38 games with the Sea Wolves. After plowing his way through the minors, the prospect's surge was short-circuited, his momentum snuffed out. And his dream of playing professional baseball, a dream he has harbored since his sophomore year of high school, was put on hold.
"It was a bad decision," Jones said after Wednesday night's game, beneath the stands in a quiet ballpark. "It's one of those stupid mistakes you make and I regret it and I've moved on."
He certainly has.
After spending just 20 games in Double-A upon serving out the rest of his suspension, Jones was promoted to Triple-A Toledo on June 6. Though the pitchers here are stronger, the fielders more athletic and the games altogether more demanding, he hasn't skipped a beat. He is hitting .333 through 10 games, with four multi-hit performances. He is driving the ball to all fields and churning up the base paths, showcasing perhaps his greatest asset every time he drops the bat and takes off for first (and beyond.)
His first two at-bats on Wednesday night were anticlimactic. Against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's Luis Cessa, who has bounced between Triple-A and the MLB this year, Jones struck out swinging in the first and then bounced out to short in the fourth. Watching him struggle to drive the ball against a fringe Major Leaguer brought the Tiger's cautious outlook on Jones into focus.
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"We would do everything we could to avoid [calling up Jones right now,]" Tigers' GM Al Avila had told reporters earlier in the day. "He is playing wonderfully in Toledo and he's done great the whole season. We want that trend to continue."
In center field, Jones had a quiet night. He wasn't forced to track down any hard-hit balls and his strong right arm wasn't called into action. Still, he flashed his terrific range in the top of the sixth when he a cut off a line drive in the left-center field gap.
The strapping Jones, 6'2, 205 pounds, has a neck like an anvil, and eats up ground when his legs slide into gear. He runs with such vigor that his steps are audible from the outfield seats, the grass only muffling so much of his might. It's hard to project where Jones might play in Detroit – he's also logged time at third base for the Mud Hens – but his speed would be a major asset in the vast outfield at Comerica Park.
In the bottom of the seventh, Jones stepped up to the plate for his third at-bat of the game. After working the count in his favor, he lashed a line drive over the first baseman's head and into the right-field corner. What would have been a sure double for most players, Jones legged into a triple, just beating out the throw at third base.
He is a player attuned to his own talents, none more so than his speed. The moment the ball left his bat, Jones put his head down and ran, motoring around the bases in a streamlined blur. He took efficient turns around first and second, hitting each base within fluid stride. His slide into third left something to be desired but what mattered, most of all, was in the race between runner and ball, Jones arrived first.
"I was thinking 'Run as fast as I can so I can get to third base," Jones said of his triple. "Once I got close to second I saw him just then picking up the ball and I thought I had enough speed to get to third, so I just turned it on a bit more and got there.
"Speed adds everything to my game. If a guy's got some speed and a little pop that goes a long way. I use it whenever I can – maybe a slow ground ball I can beat out, run a ball down in the gap, steal some bases, score from first on a double. Speed's a huge element in my game."
Jones, more than anything else, is an athlete. He's a "toolsy" player, as scouts like to say, possessing raw talent in just about every facet of the game. His skill set certainly needs some refinement around the edges, but Jones has the kind of natural ability that can't be taught. And yet for all his speed and hitting ability and arm strength, Jones seized on something less tangible as his defining characteristic as a ballplayer.
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"I'm a gamer," he said. "I'm competitive. I'm an athlete and I don't like to lose so I'll do whatever it takes to help the team win."
Mud Hens' manager Lloyd McClendon has enjoyed having Jones in Toledo. But like the Tigers' brain trust – Brad Ausmus included – McClendon is careful to temper the immediate expectations.
"Well he's done OK," McClendon replied, when asked about Jones' hot start in Triple-A. "Listen, Jacoby's a young talent that has tremendous upside. There's going to be some bumps and bruises along the way, but all in all we've got a pretty talented individual that has a chance to be an impactful player at the next level, but it's not going to happen overnight. There's a lot of work still to be done."
Along with pitching prospect Daniel Norris, Jones is the most celebrated player in Toledo. But his rising star hasn't gone to his head. His shine hasn't alienated him from his teammates.
"I think the guys like him. He's like any other rookie. He's feeling his way and keeping his mouth shut," McClendon laughed.
Except Jones is hardly like any other rookie. Most rookies are still growing into themselves; Jones is a broad-shouldered man. Most rookies struggle to move from one level to the next; Jones has sprinted from Single-A to Triple-A. And most rookies are concerned with day-to-day survival; Jones catches himself looking into the future.
"I try not to." But if the call-up comes, he said, "I'll be ready to go each and every day and do whatever I can to help the Tigers win."
