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Colas DFA'd. Greg Jones claimed


Bob Sacamano

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FanGraphs just wrote up the Rockies' system:

Colorado Rockies Top 43 Prospects | FanGraphs Baseball

32. Greg Jones, CF

Drafted: 1st Round, 2019 from UNC Wilmington (TBR)
Age 26.9 Height 6′ 2″ Weight 175 Bat / Thr S / R FV 35+
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
20/20 55/55 30/30 80/80 55/70 50

Jones is among the most fun to watch players in the minors. He’s a top-of-the-scale athlete who plays spectacular (albeit inconsistent) defense at several positions, and he has incredible speed and above-average raw power. Now 26, Jones still hasn’t made progress in a few key areas, namely his infield hands and arm accuracy, and his contact hitting. He hit .267/.344/.453 in his first season in the Rockies system, but K’d at a 35.5% clip, which is actually a good bit better than his 2023 rate (38.8%). Jones swings pretty hard and can tag a fastball, but he’s hapless against secondary stuff; this is the kind of guy who’d hit .180 or so with regular reps.

At a certain point it was feasible that a young, switch-hitting Jones would make meaningful progress in this area, but that hasn’t happened. Instead, it’s via his speed and defense that Jones remains relevant. Though he struggled with flubs and underthrows, Jones was developed solely at shortstop for his first four years in the Rays system and wasn’t given run in center field until 2023. Traded to Colorado for Joe Rock that offseason, he’s now been exposed to a mix of CF/SS/2B and sometimes plays all three like your friendly neighborhood Spiderman, with highlight-reel acrobatics. Too often, though, Jones is flub-prone on the infield, and his throwing is much, much better from the outfield, where his relative inexperience still sometimes shows. He’s below average at short and has played just eight games at second, but Jones is such an unbelievable athlete that I’m still betting he becomes a very special defensive center fielder in his late 20s. He still has value as a late-game runner and defender.

Edited by WestEddy
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Scouting grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 50 | Run: 70 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45

Jones was Draft-eligible as a sophomore in 2019 and became the highest ever pick out of UNC Wilmington when the Rays selected him 22nd overall. After signing for full slot value at $3,027,000, the speedy switch-hitter made a strong first impression with a 163 wRC+ and 19 steals in 48 games with Class A Short Season Hudson Valley. Jones got a few weeks in at Tampa Bay’s alternate site in 2020 before making his true full-season debut last summer. After suffering an early quad strain, Jones was a promising age-23 performer at High-A Bowling Green (.291/.389/.527, 13 homers, 27 steals) and received a late promotion to Double-A Montgomery, where he was overmatched in a short sample.

Jones isn’t your typical speedster prospect. His plus-plus wheels indeed catch scouts’ eyes first, and the Rays say he might have the best straight-line speed in the organization. However, he also possesses impressive bat speed capable of resulting in some rockets out of the box. Swing-and-miss concerns, however, have only gotten worse in 2022 and have caused his stock to tumble as a 24-year-old. 

The Rays came away most impressed by Jones’ defensive improvements at shortstop last season, and while it was thought he would eventually move to center field, that has become less of a concept as he’s made more highlight and 50-50 plays at the premium position…

 

#91 prospect in 2022 lol

 

DENVER -- The intriguing features on the scouting report for Rockies debutant Greg Jones are his game-changing speed, potential to play several positions, and more power than one would expect from a player with the aforementioned attributes. It’s a package for a spark-plug player.

Jones certainly added a little combustion to what had been a mundane spectacle for the Rockies for nearly nine innings at Coors Field on Monday night. Jones’ first Major League hit was a two-out, pinch-hit homer into the right-field stands.

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  On 3/26/2025 at 6:18 PM, Chicago White Sox said:

So we’re wasting a 40 man roster spot on a 27 year old defensive specialist while at the beginning phase of a rebuild?

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We are wasting like 20 roster spots on trash that won't be here in a year or two.  Would I have rather had someone else?  Sure.  But is this better than whatever random thirtywhatever utility guy?  You are damned right.

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  On 3/26/2025 at 6:20 PM, WhiteSox2023 said:

So Getz didn’t want Canario cuz he strikes out too much.  Meanwhile, Jones looks like the Tasmanian Devil swinging a bat compared to Canario.

Awful.

Getz continues to be absolutely clueless.

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Not absolutely everything needs an opinion like this. It’s two bad players. 

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  On 3/26/2025 at 6:31 PM, ChiSox59 said:

Just not at all a fan of not giving Colas a chance this season. Writing has been on the wall, but I just don't like it. He must be a very real clubhouse issue. 

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This has been obvious for a long time now.  I am glad they finally quit holding his spot if they were never going to play him anyway.

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