Pitching prospect Jared Jones showing Pirates his stuff is as good as advertised

Jared Jones got a text message from Henry Davis asking him to come to Florida to work out, so the 22-year-old right-hander spent the offseason working with another player who has something to prove this spring.

Jones and Davis were battery mates at High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona, where they found they shared the same attitude toward opposing hitters. Let’s just call it a fondness on a four-letter focus.

“I’ve always liked throwing to him because we have the mindset,” Jones said. “That’s the type of guy I like catching me.”

More than anything, what Jones couldn’t wait to have behind the plate again was an umpire. If that sounds odd coming from a pitcher, Jones believes he has sound reasoning. He found the automated ball-strike system used in Triple-A to be detrimental for his bread-and-butter pitch, the elevated four-seam fastball.

“I couldn’t throw my fastball up, which is my best pitch I throw, so not having that sucked,” Jones said. “It showed in Double-A, when there was no ABS, and the zone was a little bit bigger. I could throw that pitch, and it would set up all my other pitches pretty well. Triple-A, without having that pitch, they spat on anything that was above the belt because it was a ball. I can’t set up my other pitches without that pitch … so I ended up getting hit pretty hard.”

After going 1-4 with a 2.23 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 44 1/3 innings over 10 starts in Altoona, Jones was promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis and went 4-5 with a 4.72 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in 82 innings over 16 appearances last season. Jones averaged 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings at Indy but gave up nine home runs.

No wonder Jones has found Grapefruit League play more to his liking. He hasn’t allowed a run in 4 2/3 innings in three appearances, after throwing two scoreless innings in his first start Tuesday against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Jones wants to show the major league staff what he can do, and his fastball velocity and slider have captured its attention. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder’s four-seamer sat at 97.8 mph and touched 99.6 in his first two outings, then he touched triple digits three times against the Blue Jays, hitting 101.1, 100.6 and 100.2 mph on the radar gun, with another offering at 99.8 mph.

“He’s got good stuff,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “He’s not a big guy, but the ball comes out hot. It comes out with an extra gear in it at times, which is good to see. There’s some deception there because of his size. But, overall, he’s made a really good impression. The conversations that we’ve had about him organizationally, he’s coming as advertised.”

A 2020 second-round pick out of La Mirada (Calif.) High School, Jones is ranked the No. 3 prospect in the Pirates’ system by Baseball America. He’s considered a top-100 prospect by MLB Pipeline (No. 62) and Baseball America (No. 74). Jones realizes he’s on the cusp of making it to the major leagues this summer, but he’s concentrating on dominating.

“It’s just words. I feel like my intention whenever I take the mound, no matter where I am, is to go out there and shove,” Jones said. “It’s just a matter of doing it in game. Obviously, the coaches have taken into account what I did and how it’s working. … You look around the locker room, and we’ve got pretty good arms. Once we all get up there, hopefully, it’s going to be fun to watch.”