Mariners Prospect No. 25: James Jones

Published February 1, 2012 | By Casey McLain

James Jones, OF, High Desert Mavericks (A+, average age 22.7 in 2011)

6-4, 193 lbs, 23 years old

Bats: Left, Throws: Left

Acquired: 2009 Amateur Draft (4th round)

ETA: 2015

James Jones was an interesting prospect, once a pitcher at Long Island University, Jones was also an impressive athlete and is a full time outfielder now. His defense is good, though he’ll limit his value in a corner outfield position, but his offense is really his biggest question mark. A lot of people were high on Jones after he signed quickly and performed well in Everett in 2009. The next year he took the step up to Clinton, and hit fairly well considering the promotion (.269/.356/.432). Last year was a disaster for Jones though, as he in High Desert, a hitter’s heaven, and regressed considerably (.247/.347/.378). 2012 is a make or break year for Jones, as he may be looking at his second go-round of Advanced A-ball, and is about a year behind a good promotion schedule.

Potential (of 40): 28

Probability of Success (of 30): 4

Positional value (of 20): 7

Character (of 10): 10

OVERALL: 49

Check out the rest of the Mariners Top 25 Prospects.

Casey McLain

Casey is the founder of North and South of Royal Brougham. He's also a senior writer and marketing director at fantasyfootballjungle.com, and has done some work for walterfootball.com. Most importantly though, Casey is a big fan of baseball, football, basketball, red meat, a homebrewer, and a fan of assertively hopped Northwest IPAs.