Drafted in the 18th round (533rd overall) by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2017 (signed for $90,000).
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
TRACK RECORD: The Phillies took a flier on Jones in the 18th round of the 2017 draft despite two underwhelming seasons at Washington State. He improved significantly as a pro after adding velocity at Driveline Baseball and ditching his windup, which in turn helped his command. He spent the summer of 2020 at the Phillies alternate site.
SCOUTING REPORT: Jones has impressive stuff but has trouble throwing strikes. His above-average fastball sits 92-94 mph and tops out at 96 and his best pitch is his high-spin, low-80s slider. He gets excellent horizontal movement on the pitch and it's a true swing-and-miss offering. His changeup doesn't show movement and is thrown too close in velocity to his fastball at 86-88 mph, making it a below-average pitch. Jones has a strong body and a big arm with good extension out of his delivery, but has to improve his control to start. He spent the summer working against advanced hitters in uncomfortable at-bats and needs to improve at attacking the strike zone and consistently landing his pitches in the strike zone.
THE FUTURE: The Phillies believe that Jones can be a back-end starter. His stuff will play in the bullpen if his control doesn't improve.
TRACK RECORD: After two years at JC of Southern Idaho, Jones had two rather nondescript seasons at Washington State. As a redshirt junior, Jones never struck out more than four batters in any of his 13 starts but he allowed nine or more runs three different times. As a pro, he's been much more effective. He's added velocity after working with Driveline Baseball and he improved his control by junking his windup to throw exclusively from the stretch.
SCOUTING REPORT: Jones' improved above-average fastball now sits 92-94 mph and can touch 96 with good extension. He gets some swings and misses in the strike zone with it, but it is his plus 82-84 mph slider that finishes off hitters. Jones' slider has a high spin rate and sweeps across the strike zone with more horizontal movement than vertical depth. Jones can back-foot righthanded hitters, which is why he's just as effective against righties as he is lefties. His changeup is a below-average third pitch that is a little too hard (86-89 mph) and doesn't have enough movement to get swings and misses. Simplifying his delivery has helped, but he still has below-average control.
THE FUTURE: Jones is a steal of an 18th-round pick. He has a lot of work still to do with his control to be an major league starter, but his fastball and slider give him a fallback option as a power lefty reliever.
Scouting Reports
TRACK RECORD: The Phillies took a flier on Jones in the 18th round of the 2017 draft despite two underwhelming seasons at Washington State. He improved significantly as a pro after adding velocity at Driveline Baseball and ditching his windup, which in turn helped his command. He spent the summer of 2020 at the Phillies alternate site.
SCOUTING REPORT: Jones has impressive stuff but has trouble throwing strikes. His above-average fastball sits 92-94 mph and tops out at 96 and his best pitch is his high-spin, low-80s slider. He gets excellent horizontal movement on the pitch and it's a true swing-and-miss offering. His changeup doesn't show movement and is thrown too close in velocity to his fastball at 86-88 mph, making it a below-average pitch. Jones has a strong body and a big arm with good extension out of his delivery, but has to improve his control to start. He spent the summer working against advanced hitters in uncomfortable at-bats and needs to improve at attacking the strike zone and consistently landing his pitches in the strike zone.
THE FUTURE: The Phillies believe that Jones can be a back-end starter. His stuff will play in the bullpen if his control doesn't improve.
TRACK RECORD: The Phillies took a flier on Jones in the 18th round of the 2017 draft despite two underwhelming seasons at Washington State. He improved significantly as a pro after adding velocity at Driveline Baseball and ditching his windup, which in turn helped his command. He spent the summer of 2020 at the Phillies alternate site.
SCOUTING REPORT: Jones has impressive stuff but has trouble throwing strikes. His above-average fastball sits 92-94 mph and tops out at 96 and his best pitch is his high-spin, low-80s slider. He gets excellent horizontal movement on the pitch and it's a true swing-and-miss offering. His changeup doesn't show movement and is thrown too close in velocity to his fastball at 86-88 mph, making it a below-average pitch. Jones has a strong body and a big arm with good extension out of his delivery, but has to improve his control to start. He spent the summer working against advanced hitters in uncomfortable at-bats and needs to improve at attacking the strike zone and consistently landing his pitches in the strike zone.
THE FUTURE: The Phillies believe that Jones can be a back-end starter. His stuff will play in the bullpen if his control doesn't improve.
TRACK RECORD: After two years at JC of Southern Idaho, Jones had two rather nondescript seasons at Washington State. As a redshirt junior, Jones never struck out more than four batters in any of his 13 starts but he allowed nine or more runs three different times. As a pro, he’s been much more effective. He’s added velocity after working with Driveline Baseball and he improved his control by junking his windup to throw exclusively from the stretch.
SCOUTING REPORT: Jones’ improved above-average fastball now sits 92-94 mph and can touch 96 with good extension. He gets some swings and misses in the strike zone with it, but it is his plus 82-84 mph slider that finishes off hitters. Jones’ slider has a high spin rate and sweeps across the strike zone with more horizontal movement than vertical depth. Jones can back-foot righthanded hitters, which is why he’s just as effective against righties as he is lefties. His changeup is a below-average third pitch that is a little too hard (86-89 mph) and doesn’t have enough movement to get swings and misses. Simplifying his delivery has helped, but he still has below-average control.
THE FUTURE: Jones is a steal of an 18th-round pick. He has a lot of work still to do with his control to be an major league starter, but his fastball and slider give him a fallback option as a power lefty reliever.
TRACK RECORD: After two years at JC of Southern Idaho, Jones had two rather nondescript seasons at Washington State. As a redshirt junior, Jones never struck out more than four batters in any of his 13 starts but he allowed nine or more runs three different times. As a pro, he's been much more effective. He's added velocity after working with Driveline Baseball and he improved his control by junking his windup to throw exclusively from the stretch.
SCOUTING REPORT: Jones' improved above-average fastball now sits 92-94 mph and can touch 96 with good extension. He gets some swings and misses in the strike zone with it, but it is his plus 82-84 mph slider that finishes off hitters. Jones' slider has a high spin rate and sweeps across the strike zone with more horizontal movement than vertical depth. Jones can back-foot righthanded hitters, which is why he's just as effective against righties as he is lefties. His changeup is a below-average third pitch that is a little too hard (86-89 mph) and doesn't have enough movement to get swings and misses. Simplifying his delivery has helped, but he still has below-average control.
THE FUTURE: Jones is a steal of an 18th-round pick. He has a lot of work still to do with his control to be an major league starter, but his fastball and slider give him a fallback option as a power lefty reliever.
Midseason update: Another huge riser, Jones has utilized a low-to-mid-90s fastball and a sweeping slider to record some of the most eye-popping numbers in the minors. His strikeout percentage ranks third overall, and his 16.7 percent swinging-strike rate is among the top 20.
Career Transactions
LHP Damon Jones assigned to Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
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