Ryan Jones (baseball)

Ryan Matthew Jones (born November 5, 1974) is an American former professional baseball player who spent 14 seasons in minor league baseball and the independent baseball leagues. He hit over 200 professional home runs in his career. Once considered a potential 30 home run hitter at the major league level, he peaked briefly at Triple-A but never reached the big leagues. He had been compared to Mark McGwire.[1]

Jones was born in Torrance, California and attended Irvine High School in Irvine, California. He was also a football linebacker in high school and turned down scholarships from Oregon State and Fresno State to play baseball. He intended to play baseball at college, but was instead drafted.[2][3] In the 1993 Major League Baseball Draft, the Toronto Blue Jays took him in the second round, 57th overall, one pick ahead of pitcher Jay Witasick.[4] His signing bonus was $150,000. For the Medicine Hat Blue Jays his first season, he hit .246 with three home runs and 27 RBI in 47 games. In 1994, Jones hit .239 with 18 home runs, 29 doubles and 72 RBI in 115 games for the Hagerstown Suns. He led the team in RBI and doubles. In 1995, he hit .249 with 18 home runs, 28 doubles and 78 RBI in 127 games for the Dunedin Blue Jays. He led the team in home runs. Entering 1996, Baseball America named him the seventh-best prospect in t#he Blue Jays system, between Roy Halladay and Tom Evans. He hit .271 with a .351 on-base percentage and a .453 slugging mark with 20 home runs and 97 RBI in 134 games for the Knoxville Smokies. He led the team in games played, plate appearances (578), at-bats (506), hits (137), home runs, RBI, total bases (229) and intentional walks (tied with Jeff Patzke, 6). Entering 1997, Baseball America named him the #9 prospect in the Blue Jays system, ahead of Evans and behind Joe Young. He split that year between the Smokies and the Triple-A Syracuse SkyChiefs, hitting a combined .224 with 15 home runs and 67 RBI in 127 games. His stay with Syracuse was brief, but he led the team in sacrifice flies. In 1998, he hit .250 with 11 home runs and 51 RBI in 109 games for Knoxville.

Following the 1998 campaign, Jones left the Blue Jays system and joined the Detroit Tigers organization, with the latter club taking him in the Rule 5 Draft.[5] With the Jacksonville Suns in 1999, he batted .253 with 19 home runs and 73 RBI in 125 games. His 2000 season was split between the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the independent Northern League and the Akron Aeros in the Cleveland Indians system. He hit .259 with 22 home runs and 75 RBI in 119 games between them. On August 8, with Winnipeg, he became one of the few players to hit four home runs in one game, doing so against the Sioux Falls Canaries.[6] He played for the Lancaster JetHawks in the Arizona Diamondbacks system in 2001, leading the team in times hit by pitch and sacrifice flies. He played for the San Diego Padres Mobile BayBears in 2002, hitting .211 with 13 home runs and 53 RBI in 89 games. He led the team in home runs and tied Darren Blakely for the lead in sacrifice flies.

He joined the independent ranks for good in 2003, playing for the Northeast League's Berkshire Black Bears and hitting .257 with 7 home runs and 41 RBI in 81 games. He joined the Atlantic League's Camden Riversharks in 2004 and spent the rest of his career with them. In his first season with the team, he hit .297 with 15 home runs and 85 RBI in 110 games. He led the team in RBI and total bases (197) and tied Stoney Briggs in doubles (26). The next year, he hit .276 with 12 home runs and 74 RBI. In 2006, he hit .224 with 9 home runs and 41 RBI in 114 games. He tied Dwight Maness for the team lead in sacrifice flies (6).

In 1,514 games over 14 seasons, Jones hit .253 with 204 home runs and 921 RBI.[7]

He played in the 1998 Little League World Series.[8] He is now a high school baseball coach.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "MINOR LEAGUE NOTEBOOK / FLORIDA STATE LEAGUE : Heavy Air Fails to Bog Down Jones' Numbers at Dunedin". latimes.
  2. ↑ "Irvine Linebacker Jones Wants to Play Baseball in College". latimes.
  3. ↑ "SEA VIEW LEAGUE FOOTBALL PREVIEW : When Playing Irvine, Steer Clear of Jones". latimes.
  4. ↑ "2nd Round of the 1993 MLB June Amateur Draft - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  5. ↑ "Jones' Career Takes a New Direction". latimes.
  6. ↑ Baseball Jones: Northern star has four homers, eight RBI in game
  7. ↑ "Ryan Jones Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics & History - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  8. ↑ Kevin Cook. "THE COMEBACK KID". SI.com.
  9. ↑ "Experienced Staff, Players Have Eagles Baseball Soaring". The Capistrano Dispatch.
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