James Jones Draft Media Coverage
Brooklyn, N.Y. - As it turned out, the waiting was the hardest part for Long Island University junior
James Jones, who was taken by the Seattle Mariners in the fourth round of the 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Anticipated to be an early-round selection, the Brooklyn native had to wait an extra day to become the second pick in the fourth round, as the first three rounds took place on June 9. The Mariners selected Jones with the 113th overall pick, making the 6-foot-3 lefthander the highest draft pick ever to come out of Long Island.
“I’m very excited and can’t wait to get working,” Jones said. “The Mariners are a great organization and I’m eager to get out there and play. I want to thank God for giving me this opportunity to play pro ball.
“I definitely want to thank the LIU coaching staff,” Jones said. “Coach [Don] Maines, Coach [Craig] Noto, Coach Mac [Joshua MacDonald] and Coach [Chris] Reyes really helped me in my growth as a player and I appreciate that. I also want to thank [strength and conditioning coach] Richard James for all the help he gave me, especially with the weight training.”
Jones, who drew the attention of scouts with his ability on the mound but also possesses five tools as a position player, was drafted as an outfielder. He was an All-Northeast Conference selection this season as a utility player. After playing first base and the outfield in addition to pitching, he garnered his second straight first team honor. Jones batted .364 with 32 RBIs and a team-high nine home runs. He turned in several single-season marks that rank among the best in Long Island history. His team-leading 63 hits place sixth while his team-best 47 runs are fourth in the LIU annals.
Jones stole a career-high 20 bases this season, good enough for third in the Blackbird record book, and with a swipe of home on May 9 at Fairleigh Dickinson, he broke the career steals record, which now stands at 47. Jones also notched 11 doubles and three triples.
The highlight of his season came on April 17 at Sacred Heart when he came to the plate with the game tied in the eighth. Having already singled, doubled and tripled in the game, Jones broke the tie with a two-run homer that proved to be the game-winner to hit for the cycle. He added another double to finish the contest 5-for-6. Jones’ performance that week netted several awards: NEC Co-Player of the Week, College Baseball Insider Northeast Region Player of the Week and a spot on the College Baseball Foundation Weekly Allstar Lineup. The College Baseball Hall of Fame requested game-used equipment from the game, and Jones obliged by sending a pair of his batting gloves.
In his 12 starts on the hill, Jones, whose fastball tops out around 94 mph, earned one win and struck out 64 in 69 1/3 innings. Over his three-year career, the lefty has fanned 172 batters to place eighth in Long Island history.
Jones is the 35th player in Long Island history to be selected by a major league team. It marks the 40th time a Blackbird was drafted, as several players were drafted on more than one occasion. The last time a Long Island player was drafted was in 1999 when righthander Joe Curreri was taken by the Chicago White Sox in the 23rd round. The highest pick ever for a Blackbird came in 1986 when Richard Lacko was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the sixth round, 151st overall.