Greg Jones | |
---|---|
Tampa Bay Rays – No. 28 | |
Shortstop | |
Born: Cary, North Carolina | March 7, 1998|
Bats: Switch Throws: Right |
Gregory Jones Jr. (born March 7, 1998) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB).[1]
Jones was born in Cary, North Carolina.[2] He is the son of Tammy and Greg Jones.[2]
Jones attended Cary High School in Cary, North Carolina.[2][3]
As a senior at Cary High School, he batted .429 with 18 stolen bases.[4] He was ranked sixth in North Carolina and 133rd nationally by Perfect Game.[2] He was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 17th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign.[5] He instead chose to attend the University of North Carolina Wilmington where he played college baseball.[5][3]
In 2018, as a freshman at UNC Wilmington, Jones played and started sixty games, batting .278 with four home runs 21 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases.[6] He played collegiate summer baseball for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League after the season, hitting .242 in 132 at-bats.[7][8] In 2019, his sophomore year, he hit .341 with five home runs, 36 RBIs, and 42 stolen bases in 63 games, and was named the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year.[9][10]
Jones was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the first round with the 22nd overall selection of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft.[11][12] He signed with the Rays for $3 million.[13]
Jones made his professional debut with the Hudson Valley Renegades of the Low–A New York–Penn League.[14] Over 48 games, he slashed .335/.413/.461 with one home run, 24 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases.[15] Jones did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[16]
He began the 2021 season with the Bowling Green Hot Rods of the High-A East and was promoted to the Montgomery Biscuits of the Double-A South in August.[17] He missed time during the season due to a quadriceps injury.[18] Over 72 games between the two clubs, he slashed .270/.366/.482 with 14 home runs, forty RBIs, and 34 stolen bases.[19]
He opened the 2022 season back with Montgomery.[20] In 79 games for Montgomery, Jones hit .238/.318/.392 with 8 home runs, 40 RBI, and 37 stolen bases.[21] On November 15, 2022, the Rays added Jones to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[22]
Jones was optioned to the Triple-A Durham Bulls to begin the 2023 season.[23] On 71 games split between Triple–A Durham and Double–A Montgomery, he hit a cumulative .244/.318/.432 with 10 home runs, 35 RBI, and 24 stolen bases. On September 16, 2023, Jones was placed on the 60–day injured list with a hamstring injury, ending his season.[24]