Connor Jones

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #30 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Jones anchored Virginia's national championship-winning staff as a sophomore and emerged as its Friday night starter as a junior. The Cardinals drafted him in the second round in 2016 and signed him for $1.1 million. Considered a "safe" pick out of the draft, Jones' control instead abandoned him as a pro, and the Cardinals moved him to the bullpen full-time in 2019.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Jones' stuff ticked up with his move to the bullpen. A sinker that sat 92-93 mph as a starter is now a heavy, 95-98 mph bowling ball that breaks bats and induces ground ball rates north of 60 percent. Jones complements his sinker with an above-average, 84-87 mph power curveball with sharp downward bite, and he keeps an average mid-80s changeup with depth in his back pocket. Jones tends to overthink and nibble rather than attack, resulting in a troublesome walk rate even in relief.
  
  THE FUTURE: Jones has the stuff to pitch in relief, but he needs to get out of his own head and throw strikes.
• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #22 prospect in 2018
  Jones led Virginia to the 2015 national championship as the anchor of the Cavaliers rotation as a sophomore and was their Friday night starter as a junior. He finished his decorated college career 22-5, 2.86 and was drafted in the second round by the Cardinals in 2016, signing for $1.1 million. Expected to be a quick riser, Jones instead hit a speed bump in his first full season at high Class A Palm Beach. Jones sits 92-93 mph and reaches 96 with his fastball and complements it with an above-average to plus breaking ball. However, his stuff plays down because he gets into his own head, nibbling too much and trying to do things he physically can't in terms of pitches he's trying to throw and spot. Jones has a mid-80s changeup with depth but doesn't have the confidence to use it, further complicating matters. The total result was a high walk rate, low strikeout rate, and .274 opponent average in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League. Jones' two-pitch arsenal and tendency to overthink make him a future reliever for many evaluators, but he'll get the chance to self-correct as a starter at Double-A Springfield in 2018.
• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #18 prospect in 2017
  If the Cardinals could design, trait by trait, the type of player they would like to find in every draft it would be Jones. Not since Michael Wacha has there been a more Cardinal-type pitcher available to them. Billed as one of the safest pitching picks in the 2016 draft, Jones led Virginia's rotation to a national championship as a sophomore and was the Friday-night ace as a junior, when his stuff backed up across the board, dropping him in the draft. He harmonizes with all of the things the Cardinals value. His stats satisfied the analytics, his athleticism satisfied the front office, his pitches satisfied the scouts, and even his sinker satisfies the organization's groundball-greedy approach. Jones' fastball runs heavy at 90-92 mph, and he can gear up for 96 mph. Jones has toyed with a splitter grip instead of a changeup. Both his breaking balls, a curve and a slider, are viable, and the slider has flashed plus in the past. Jones has some flaws in his mechanics, typical of Virginia pitchers, that complicate his command. The Cardinals believe they're easy to correct and may vanish after Jones has a break from a long season. He could see high Class A in 2017 because safe is a synonym for predictable and predictable gets promoted.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #24 prospect in 2016 draft
  Jones was a potential first-round talent out of high school--No. 34 in the 2013 BA 500--but the Chesapeake, Va., product fell to the 21st round after alerting teams he intended to honor his commitment to Virginia. That decision has paid dividends. As a sophomore, Jones was the anchor of a national championship-winning pitching staff, and as a junior, Jones has established himself as one of--if not the--safest college righthander on the board. Athletic with a clean delivery, which includes Virginia's patented squat, Jones commands a heavy 90-92 mph sinker low in the zone and can reach back for 95-96 mph with his four-seamer. His low-to-mid 80s slider has flashed plus since high school. In lieu of a changeup, Jones tinkered with a splitter grip near the end of his freshman season, and the pitch has since become a key part of his arsenal, operating in the high 80s. Though relatively low-risk, Jones' ceiling is likely that of a No. 3 starter, although some scouts view him as more of a No. 4 or 5.
• Ranked #34 prospect in 2013 draft
  A pupil of the National Pitching Association and a Virginia recruit, Jones already pitches with the Cavaliers' trademark squat delivery, and it works well for him. Jones pitches from a three-quarters arm slot and sits 90-91 mph while touching a tick higher. His biggest strength is fastball life, as he throws a heavy ball that gets above-average sink. He also throws a slider that flashes plus at times and a changeup that could be an average pitch down the road. He has a strong, compact frame at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds and is a good athlete. The biggest question with Jones is his signability. On talent, he could sneak into the first round, but Virginia commitments have proven tough signs in the past, and Jones sent all 30 clubs a letter in early May saying he intended to honor his commitment to UVa., though he added getting drafted "would be pretty cool." He stopped short of withdrawing from the draft as another Virginia recruit, Nathan Kirby, did in 2012.

• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Jones anchored Virginia's national championship-winning staff as a sophomore and emerged as its Friday night starter as a junior. The Cardinals drafted him in the second round in 2016 and signed him for $1.1 million. Considered a "safe" pick out of the draft, Jones' control instead abandoned him as a pro, and the Cardinals moved him to the bullpen full-time in 2019.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Jones' stuff ticked up with his move to the bullpen. A sinker that sat 92-93 mph as a starter is now a heavy, 95-98 mph bowling ball that breaks bats and induces ground ball rates north of 60 percent. Jones complements his sinker with an above-average, 84-87 mph power curveball with sharp downward bite, and he keeps an average mid-80s changeup with depth in his back pocket. Jones tends to overthink and nibble rather than attack, resulting in a troublesome walk rate even in relief.
  
  THE FUTURE: Jones has the stuff to pitch in relief, but he needs to get out of his own head and throw strikes.