For one glorious, 36-game stretch after he started calming his hands by laying the bat on his shoulder in his set-up, he hit .320 with a .960 OPS. “I have a few years under my belt now and I know what I can do,” Jones said. “That month, month and a half, really helped me out so much, showing me that.”
Still, the sample size seems insufficient. He understands that. He knows that while he’s penciled in as the starting center fielder, he’s coming to camp with a clean slate. Which is why he’s been working so hard this offseason. “I’ve been full-go for a quite a while now, just conditioning and hitting,” he said. “Trying to get my body in shape for next month. The wrist isn’t bothering me at all. It’s not restraining me. It’s just like it was before I got hurt.” Hitting will always be the x-factor for Jones. What needs to be constant for him to keep his starting role, though, is his defensive play in center field. And, again, what do we make of his numbers in an 88-game season? In 2018, he led baseball with 21 defensive runs saved — the majority of those coming when he played left field alongside Leonys Martin. Last year, playing exclusively in center field, he ranked near the bottom of the league with minus-13 defensive runs saved.
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Jorge Lopez fractured his left wrist
Jones started and ended the season on the injured list. He sprained his shoulder diving for a ball in one of the final exhibition games in Lakeland. That cost him two weeks and 11 games. His season ended on Aug. 8 when a 95-mph fastball from Royals right-hander Jorge Lopez fractured his left wrist. That cost him the final two months and 48 games. In between, he missed games with a hamstring injury and back stiffness. All told, he played in only 88 games. He got fewer than 300 at-bats. So, what do we make of his numbers? He raised his OPS by 110 points and his OPS-plus by 23. His slash-line was the best of his career (.235/.310/.430). He was a plus-15 on the bases and scored 38 percent of the time he got on base (39 runs, 103 times on base).
Jones’ couch is in Hattiesburg
Jones’ couch is in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. His home-built batting cage is there, too, as is a sparkling new indoor training facility that he works out at every day. Close by is a local high school where’s he shagged fly balls and taken batting practice the last six years. You get the picture? Jones loves his alma mater. And he will be rooting like a madman for them on Monday. But the Tigers team that pays his salary is the baseball club in Detroit. And going into his age-28 season, Jones is laser focused on re-establishing himself as the everyday center fielder. “Last year was very frustrating, only playing a half a year,” he said. “All my career I’ve been durable and been able to stay on the field. Last year was just kind of a fluke thing. This year I want to do everything I can to stay on the field for 150 games. “I don’t know what their plans are, but when we get to spring training, I’m going to tell Gardy (manager Ron Gardenhire) that I want to stay out there every day.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)