Any Major League Baseball draft is packed with pressure, but doubly so when there are only a handful of picks. In the Pirates' case last week, they had six total picks -- three among the top 44 overall -- with a mandated maximum of $11,712,225 allotted to invest in signing them.
So, it stands to reason, they'd better complete that process.
Late Monday afternoon, they pulled off the step that might've been the toughest, signing second-rounder and No. 44 overall pick Jared Jones, a pitcher out of La Mirada High School in California, and thus avoiding losing him to the University of Texas, the school to which he'd committed. Draft observers long had considered Jones a risk in that regard, with Jones' family making known he'd need an above-slot bonus to go pro.
The bonus wasn't immediately made known, but the assigned slot value at No. 44 overall is $1,689,500 million, so it almost certainly topped that.
Jones, 18, broke the news himself on his Twitter account Monday evening:
Childhood dreams made into reality, so grateful I get the opportunity to pursue my dream with the @Pirates . Lets rock Pittsburgh!! ?☠️
— jared jones (@jared_jones_17) June 15, 2020
A 6-foot-2 right-hander with a fastball that tops at 99 mph and a dynamic slider, Jones had his senior year of high school cut short by the coronavirus shutdown, as with most scholastic players. As a junior and sophomore, his combined statistics included a 0.89 ERA, 255 strikeouts and 78 walks in 180 1/3 innings, as well as a perfect game. He also was hugely productive at the plate, slashing .394/.473/.566.
His control isn't impeccable, but that's likely got much to do with limited pitching experience. He didn't take the mound on a regular basis until his sophomore year at La Mirada.
Take a look at the stuff:
Two months ago, Jones told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, his hometown newspaper, he was leaning toward college: "I would be more than happy to sign if everything is right. But everything has to be perfect for me to say no to Texas.”
It apparently turned out that way.
"Jared's a really, really good athlete," Ben Cherington said upon drafting Jones.
“He can really make the ball move in a lot of different ways,” Cherington said. “He can be a position player, but we’re going to give him a chance to pitch and reach his upside, and we think he’s going to be a really good starting pitcher with good stuff.”
Jones is the first of the Pirates' six picks to sign. That, too, could be explained by his above-slot expectations, because the team now has a clearer picture of how to distribute the rest of its allotted pool and almost surely would've been most aggressive with Jones.
