La Mirada High School’s Jared Jones signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday after getting drafted in the second round, and 44th overall, in last month’s Major League Baseball amateur draft.
Jones, a right-handed pitcher, had signed with the University of Texas in the fall, but he opted for the money instead of college, signing for $2.2 million, which was well above his slot value of $1.68 million, according to published reports.
Officially a Pittsburgh Pirate! 🏴☠️ pic.twitter.com/GJluaCWy7Y
— jared jones (@jared_jones_17) July 3, 2020
Jones, listed at 6-1, 180 pounds, is a three-time member of USA Baseball junior national teams and has been on MLB’s radar for years. His scouting report lists his fastball at 96-97 mph consistently, with a slider that ranges in speed from 74 to 82.
During his high school career at La Mirada, Jones was 20-6 with a 0.89 ERA.
Jones’ senior year was cut short, as it was for everyone, because of the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in the last two months of the season being cancelled. But he had a remarkable two years on varsity as an underclassmen.
Jones was the Whittier Daily News player of the year in 2019 after leading his team to the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinals. Jones had a 7-1 record with a 0.77 ERA and he batted .457.
As a sophomore, he was 7-2 with a 0.80 ERA.
