Taylor Jones (baseball)

Taylor Michael Jones (born December 6, 1993) is an American professional baseball first baseman and outfielder for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). Jones was selected by the Astros in the 19th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft. He made his MLB debut in 2020.

Taylor Jones
Houston Astros – No. 28
First baseman / Outfielder
Born: (1993-12-06) December 6, 1993
Kent, Washington
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
July 26, 2020, for the Houston Astros
MLB statistics
(through 2020 season)
Batting average.190
Home runs1
Runs batted in3
Teams

Career

Amateur career

Jones attended Kentwood High School in Covington, Washington, where he played basketball and baseball.[1] In 2012, his senior year, he led them to a 4A baseball state championship.[2] Undrafted in the 2012 Major League Baseball draft, he enrolled at Gonzaga University where he played college baseball.

In 2013, as a freshman at Gonzaga, Jones pitched to a 5.29 ERA over 17 innings while batting .233 in 28 games. As a sophomore in 2014, he went 4-3 with a 4.71 ERA over 14 starts along with hitting .211 with one home run in 29 games. In 2015, his junior year, he began focusing strictly on hitting and play first base.[3] Over 44 games, he hit .358 with five home runs and thirty RBIs[4] and was named to the All-WCC First Team.[5] After the season, he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 35th round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft, but he did not sign.[6] As a senior in 2016, he played in 56 games, slashing .332/.399/.509 with two home runs and 36 RBIs, earning All-WCC Second Team honors.[7]

Professional career

Jones was selected by the Houston Astros in the 19th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft.

Jones signed with Houston and made his professional debut with the Tri-City ValleyCats, hitting .252 with eight home runs and 38 RBIs over seventy games while earning New York-Penn League All-Star honors.[8]

In 2017, Jones split time between the Quad Cities River Bandits and the Buies Creek Astros, batting .222 with seven home runs and 45 RBIs over 105 games.[9]

In 2018, Jones began the season with the Corpus Christi Hooks, earning Texas League All-Star honors,[10][11][12] before being promoted to the Fresno Grizzlies.[13] Over 123 games between the two clubs, he slashed .281/.374/.480 with 18 home runs and eighty RBIs.[14]

In 2019, Jones spent the season with the Round Rock Express, batting .291/.388/.501 with 22 home runs and 84 RBIs over 125 games. Following the 2019 season, Jones was added to the Astros 40–man roster.[15]

On July 26, 2020, Jones made his MLB debut, going hitless in 2 at-bats.[16]

References
  1. Hill, Kris (February 7, 2012). "Conquerors win division crown | Boys basketball". Covington-Maple Valley Reporter.
  2. /
  3. "Astros' AA Prospect Taylor Jones: From Hoops To Mound To Slugger". April 26, 2018.
  4. Oates, Zack. "Taylor Jones building off successful Gonzaga career with Astros organization". The Gonzaga Bulletin.
  5. "Harris Defensive Player of the Year; Two Zags First Team All-WCC". Gonzaga University Athletics.
  6. Grob, Brian. "Unfinished business". The Gonzaga Bulletin.
  7. "Gonzaga's Jeff Bohling the WCC player of the year; four Zags on first team | SWX Right Now - Sports for Spokane, CdA, Tri-Cities, WA". www.swxrightnow.com.
  8. "South Defeats North In New York-Penn All-Star Game".
  9. Rome, Chandler. "Self-Starter Kyle Tucker Shines At Triple-A". www.baseballamerica.com.
  10. "First things first for Hooks' All-Star Jones". MiLB.com. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  11. Rome, Chandler (June 13, 2018). "Seven Astros prospects tabbed for Texas League All-Star Game". HoustonChronicle.com.
  12. "South's Jones wins All-Star swing-off". MiLB.com. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  13. "Express first baseman Taylor Jones rising through the minor-league ranks". Hill Country News.
  15. Chandler Rome (November 20, 2019). "Astros to add prospects to 40-man roster ahead of Rule 5 draft". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  16. Brian McTaggart (July 26, 2020). "Jones, Bailey are latest Astros to debut". MLB.com. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
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