2011 Chris Jones Scouting Report

Here is my 2011 scouting report on left-handed pitcher Chris Jones who the Indians traded today to the Atlanta Braves for right-handed starting pitcher Derek Lowe. The report was not posted on-line until now as it was only in my 2011 prospect book (noted in the footer below). Note, this report was written going into the 2011 season and he was ranked as the Indians' 70th best prospect, a ranking which changed very little this past season.

70. Chris Jones – Left-handed Pitcher
Born: 09/19/1988 – Height: 6’2” – Weight: 193 – Bats: Left – Throws: Left

History: Jones was a 15th round pick by the Indians in the 2007 Draft out of Gaither High School (FL). He was set to enroll and play for Indiana University, but the Indians wooed him to skip college and become a professional with a $350,000 signing bonus. Last year at High-A Kinston he proved to be tough on lefties (1.83 ERA, .203 BAA, 12.3 K/9).

Strengths: Jones has a slender build with a standard three pitch mix of a fastball, curveball and changeup. The fastball gets good arm side tail and sits at 88-90 MPH and touches 92 MPH, and his curveball is a plus offering and considered the best pitch in his arsenal. He has a ton of confidence in his curveball and commands it well. The changeup has some good sink and fade, but is still not an average offering for him, which is why with his fastball-curveball mix he was converted to a bullpen role last year. His deceptive, unconventional delivery to along with a very good curveball makes him tough on lefties, and with more refinement of his pitches, mechanics and command he could become even tougher.

Prior to last year Jones had been a starter or pitched as a quasi-starter in a piggyback role, but he made a full time transition to a bullpen role last season. He adapted to the role change well, and the biggest change for him last year was the increased use of his curveball. Prior to the bullpen change, the Indians had him focus on throwing mostly fastballs and changeups in order to develop those two pitches as a starter, but with the conversion to the bullpen he started to once again throw his bread and butter pitch often and had a lot of success because of it.

Opportunities: Jones still needs work on being more consistent with his delivery and commanding the ball down in the zone. While his velocity has spiked 2-3 MPH the past two seasons, his velocity is still often inconsistent. The velocity increase is the result of him maturing physically, but to better maintain the higher velocity he needs to refine his mechanics by avoiding his tendency to step across his body and pitching with his hands over his head to eliminate the herky jerky movement with his hands. Durability is a concern as he had an arm injury which sidelined him for most of 2008, and he broke a knuckle on his hand during his senior year of high school in 2007.

Outlook: Jones made a successful full time transition to the bullpen in 2010, and looks to be one of the better left-handed relief options in the system going forward. His versatility to start or relieve projects him really as either a long man out of the bullpen or potentially a left-handed specialist if he continues to develop. He has a chance to open the 2011 season in the bullpen at Double-A Akron, but due to depth in the upper levels may open the season at Kinston before moving on to Akron one or two months into the season.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

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