Greg Jones

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #19 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: A draft-eligible sophomore who broke out at UNC-Wilmington in 2019, Jones has long been considered a promising prospect with very loud tools, but injuries and inconsistency have hampered his production.
  
  Scouting Report: Jones had struggled in a late-season promotion to Double-A Montgomery in 2021, but that was a month after a strong half season at High-A Bowling Green. His 2022 season was much more troubling for his development. Jones has a level, flat swing that should help him make plenty of contact, but he swings through hittable pitches. He has a better righthanded swing than lefty with more consistency and more power. Jones has plus raw power (although it doesn't always play in games), a plus arm and plus-plus speed. He makes highlight plays defensively, but also struggles at times to make routine plays. Jones has only played shortstop with the Rays, but some scouts have long believed he could be even better in center field. Jones is a career 86% basestealer. Jones has battled shoulder, knee and quad injuries. His 79 games played in 2022 was actually a career high.
  
  The Future: The pandemic did Jones no favors, as he didn't reach full-season ball until he was 23-years-old, but he has to start speeding up his development. The Rays demonstrated their continued faith in Jones by adding him to the 40-man roster, protecting him from the MLB Rule 5 draft. But Jones will turn 25 before the 2023 season begins. He'll need to make significant strides in his contact ability and his defensive consistency.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 30. Power: 45. Run: 70. Field: 55. Arm: 60
• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #6 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Jones has shown flashes of being a power-speed threat since the Rays selected him 22nd overall in 2019, but he has been hampered by nagging injuries that have slowed his development. A shoulder injury affected his throwing in his draft year, a knee injury slowed him in 2020 and a quad injury kept him from going to the Arizona Fall League in 2021. He’s been productive when he’s been on the field, however, including batting .270/.366/.482 with 14 home runs, 40 RBIs and 34 stolen bases in only 74 games across High-A and Double-A in 2021.
  
  Scouting Report: Of all the Rays’ many minor league shortstops, Jones has the loudest tools. He’s a plus-plus runner and also has plus raw power thanks to some of the fastest bat speed in the Rays organization. While he has speed and power, he’s prone to chasing pitches and doesn’t work counts all that well, limiting him to a potential fringe-average hitter. His level swing isn’t necessarily geared for hitting home runs, but he hits the ball hard consistently enough to get to 15-20 per season. Jones’ plus arm plays well at shortstop and allows him to make highlight-reel plays other shortstops in the system can’t. While Jones often makes the standout play, he’ll sometimes botch the routine one, mostly because his hands need to get a little softer.
  
  The Future: Jones has the highest ceiling of any Rays shortstop prospect because of his speed and developing power. He always has a fallback option of developing into a rangy center fielder. He is ticketed to return to Double-A Montgomery in 2022.
  
• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #14 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: Jones was considered one of the more intriguing prospects of the 2017 high school class thanks to his speed, switch-hitting ability and his glove at shortstop. He made it to UNC Wilmington and followed up a mediocre freshman year and strikeout-filled Cape Cod League appearance with an excellent sophomore season (.341/.491/.543) that carried over into his pro debut.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Jones had an inconsistent summer as a late addition to the Rays' alternate training site and sat out much of instructional league with a minor knee injury. He has a discerning eye at the plate with a level swing and adequate hand-eye coordination. He coils into his back leg before exploding out of a compact stance with above-average bat speed. Jones could develop into a high on-base percentage table-setter with gap power that gives him a chance to hit 12-15 home runs a year. Once he gets on base, his plus-plus speed makes him a weapon on the basepaths. Defensively, his range, body control and plus arm are a fit at shortstop, but his hands need to get softer. Jones was limited at shortstop in 2019 because he had a sore shoulder early in his final college season. His arm bounced back in 2020. He showed plus arm strength and better accuracy. Center field is a viable backup plan.
  
  THE FUTURE: The pandemic means Jones will get his first full-season at-bat as a 23-year-old. He's seven months older than Juan Soto. Jones' athleticism is exciting, but he needs to make up for lost time.
• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #12 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: After a modest freshman season and a summer in the Cape Cod League where he struggled with strikeouts, Jones blossomed as a draft-eligible sophomore at UNC-Wilmington and finished in the top 10 in Division I in triples and stolen bases. A sore shoulder limited his time at shortstop in college and early in his pro debut, but he played shortstop almost everyday in July and August.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Jones is the most athletic player in the Rays' system. He will turn in 70 times on the 20-to-80 scouting scale from home to first and better than that when he's going first-to-third. He has above-average bat speed and average power potential long-term thanks to strong hands, and an ability to whip the bat through the strike zone. He finished among the New York-Penn League's leaders in most offensive categories in his pro debut, helped in part by a likely unsustainable .467 batting average on balls in play. There remains plenty of debate over whether he's best at shortstop or center fielder. Jones can make the highlight play and has above-average arm strength, but his hands are fringy so far and his throwing accuracy needs to improve. His speed and athleticism would make him a plus defender in center.
  
  THE FUTURE: Jones has explosive athleticism, but it's his ability to be a switch hitter who hits stinging line-drives that makes him a fascinating prospect. The Rays love multi-position players, so it wouldn't be surprising if they moved Jones around eventually, but for now he needs to try to master shortstop.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #51 prospect in 2019 draft
  A late-rising high school prospect in the 2017 draft class, Jones ranked No. 75 on the 2017 BA 500 thanks to his elite speed, plus throwing arm and potential as a switch-hitter. Ultimately, Jones made it to campus at UNC Wilmington due to his lack of track record and the fact that he was older for the class. Now a draft-eligible sophomore, Jones has the same collection of tantalizing tools but is putting together a strong spring with the bat after a mediocre freshman season (.278/.412/.370). Scouts questioned Jones' hit tool prior to this spring, especially after he struggled in the Cape Cod League last summer with a strikeout rate close to 30 percent. This spring, however, Jones has cut his whiff rate down to 13 percent through 47 games, striking out 29 times compared to 40 walks. He's hit for more power in games as well, although he does most of his damage via doubles and triples. His 80-grade speed has also shown up on the base paths, where he has 31 stolen bases through his first 38 attempts. Jones didn't play shortstop at the beginning of the season while he was dealing with shoulder soreness, but even when he got back to the position scouts wondered if he had the skill to stay there at the next level. He has the plus arm strength, range and athleticism to handle shortstop, but he lacks consistency and focus, often struggling on routine plays with questionable hands. He could be a plus defender in center field with his current skill set, and many scouts will submit him to their teams as an outfielder rather than a shortstop. Jones' upside is tremendous, and he could grow into above-average raw power as he fills out his 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame with plenty of bat speed from both sides.
• Ranked #75 prospect in 2017 draft
  Jones is a late riser who's shot up draft boards thanks to an impressive package of tools, but the industry doesn't seem to have a consensus on him because of his lack of track record. At least a 70 runner, Jones seems to turn the speed on and off at times, but has several 80-grade run times including a 3.85 home-to-first on April 19. He hits from both sides and has shown flashes of pop--enough for some scouts to project average power as he adds strength--but is probably better from the left side, which plays into his strength as a runner. Jones has good hands at the plate but is unrefined and inconsistent defensively at shortstop, although he has a strong arm that could become another plus tool down the line. If he doesn't stick at shortstop he has the athleticism, speed and arm that could allow him to become a strong center fielder, and he's shown ability to confidently track fly balls over his shoulder from the dirt. He's old for the class--he turned 19 in March--and his position in the draft will likely depend on the amount of history a team has with Jones and whether or not it believes he will be able to stick at shortstop at the next level.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked New York-Penn League #3 prospect in 2019
  Jones showed no signs of slowing down after the college season and was a dynamic offensive force for Hudson Valley. Among batters with at least 100 plate appearances, Jones ranked among the NYPL leaders in batting average (.335), on-base percentage (.413), stolen bases (19) and OPS (.874). Jones was prone to swinging and missing in college but showed more feel to hit in the NYPL. His two-strike approach has helped him make more consistent contact. His power is below-average from both sides of the plate, but he makes the most of his top-of-the-scale speed to wreak havoc on the bases. While Jones’ range is good at shortstop, evaluators are split on whether he should move to center field and take advantage of his above-average arm and plus-plus speed. Jones’ athletic ability and feel to put the barrel on the ball should help him rise through the Rays’ system as a potential top-of-the-order hitter.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: A draft-eligible sophomore who broke out at UNC-Wilmington in 2019, Jones has long been considered a promising prospect with very loud tools, but injuries and inconsistency have hampered his production.
  
  Scouting Report: Jones had struggled in a late-season promotion to Double-A Montgomery in 2021, but that was a month after a strong half season at High-A Bowling Green. His 2022 season was much more troubling for his development. Jones has a level, flat swing that should help him make plenty of contact, but he swings through hittable pitches. He has a better righthanded swing than lefty with more consistency and more power. Jones has plus raw power (although it doesn't always play in games), a plus arm and plus-plus speed. He makes highlight plays defensively, but also struggles at times to make routine plays. Jones has only played shortstop with the Rays, but some scouts have long believed he could be even better in center field. Jones is a career 86% basestealer. Jones has battled shoulder, knee and quad injuries. His 79 games played in 2022 was actually a career high.
  
  The Future: The pandemic did Jones no favors, as he didn't reach full-season ball until he was 23-years-old, but he has to start speeding up his development. The Rays demonstrated their continued faith in Jones by adding him to the 40-man roster, protecting him from the MLB Rule 5 draft. But Jones will turn 25 before the 2023 season begins. He'll need to make significant strides in his contact ability and his defensive consistency.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 30. Power: 45. Run: 70. Field: 55. Arm: 60
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: A draft-eligible sophomore who broke out at UNC-Wilmington in 2019, Jones has long been considered a promising prospect with very loud tools, but injuries and inconsistency have hampered his production.
  
  Scouting Report: Jones had struggled in a late-season promotion to Double-A Montgomery in 2021, but that was a month after a strong half season at High-A Bowling Green. His 2022 season was much more troubling for his development. Jones has a level, flat swing that should help him make plenty of contact, but he swings through hittable pitches. He has a better righthanded swing than lefty with more consistency and more power. Jones has plus raw power (although it doesn't always play in games), a plus arm and plus-plus speed. He makes highlight plays defensively, but also struggles at times to make routine plays. Jones has only played shortstop with the Rays, but some scouts have long believed he could be even better in center field. Jones is a career 86% basestealer. Jones has battled shoulder, knee and quad injuries. His 79 games played in 2022 was actually a career high.
  
  The Future: The pandemic did Jones no favors, as he didn't reach full-season ball until he was 23-years-old, but he has to start speeding up his development. The Rays demonstrated their continued faith in Jones by adding him to the 40-man roster, protecting him from the MLB Rule 5 draft. But Jones will turn 25 before the 2023 season begins. He'll need to make significant strides in his contact ability and his defensive consistency.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 30. Power: 45. Run: 70. Field: 55. Arm: 60
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Track Record: The Rays collect shortstops like some fans collect bobbleheads. Tampa Bay&#39s reasoning is that shortstops who can hit can eventually find their way to almost anywhere around the diamond. Of all the Rays&#39 many minor league shortstops, Jones has the loudest tools. He&#39s shown flashes of being a power-speed threat who could be on a development path similar to Josh Lowe. Nagging injuries have slowed Jones&#39 development. His draft year a shoulder injury affected his throwing, a knee injury slowed him in 2020. And a quad injury kept him from going to the Arizona Fall League this year.
  
  Scouting Report: There&#39s little Jones can&#39t do on a baseball field. He&#39s one of the Rays&#39 fastest runners, and he showed that plus-plus speed by swiping 34 bases in 36 tries. He also has plus raw power thanks to him having some of the best bat speed in the organization. His plus arm plays very well at shortstop—no Rays MiLB shortstop can make the highlight-level play better than Jones. While he makes the “can-you-believe-it play, he&#39ll sometimes botch the routine one. His hands need to get a little softer. While he has speed and power, he&#39s prone to chasing pitches and doesn&#39t work counts all that well. His level swing isn&#39t necessarily geared for hitting home runs, but he hits the ball hard consistently enough to get to 15-20 of them per season..
  
  The Future: Jones has the highest ceiling of the Rays many shortstop prospects thanks to his speed and developing power. He always has a fallback option of developing into a rangy center fielder. Jones is ticketed to return to Double-A Montgomery in 2022.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 45. Power: 55. Speed: 70. Fielding: 55. Arm: 60.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Jones has shown flashes of being a power-speed threat since the Rays selected him 22nd overall in 2019, but he has been hampered by nagging injuries that have slowed his development. A shoulder injury affected his throwing in his draft year, a knee injury slowed him in 2020 and a quad injury kept him from going to the Arizona Fall League in 2021. He’s been productive when he’s been on the field, however, including batting .270/.366/.482 with 14 home runs, 40 RBIs and 34 stolen bases in only 74 games across High-A and Double-A in 2021.
  
  Scouting Report: Of all the Rays’ many minor league shortstops, Jones has the loudest tools. He’s a plus-plus runner and also has plus raw power thanks to some of the fastest bat speed in the Rays organization. While he has speed and power, he’s prone to chasing pitches and doesn’t work counts all that well, limiting him to a potential fringe-average hitter. His level swing isn’t necessarily geared for hitting home runs, but he hits the ball hard consistently enough to get to 15-20 per season. Jones’ plus arm plays well at shortstop and allows him to make highlight-reel plays other shortstops in the system can’t. While Jones often makes the standout play, he’ll sometimes botch the routine one, mostly because his hands need to get a little softer.
  
  The Future: Jones has the highest ceiling of any Rays shortstop prospect because of his speed and developing power. He always has a fallback option of developing into a rangy center fielder. He is ticketed to return to Double-A Montgomery in 2022.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Jones was considered one of the more intriguing prospects of the 2017 high school class thanks to his speed, switch-hitting ability and his glove at shortstop. He made it to UNC Wilmington and followed up a mediocre freshman year and strikeout-filled Cape Cod League appearance with an excellent sophomore season (.341/.491/.543) that carried over into his pro debut.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Jones had an inconsistent summer as a late addition to the Rays' alternate training site and sat out much of instructional league with a minor knee injury. He has a discerning eye at the plate with a level swing and adequate hand-eye coordination. He coils into his back leg before exploding out of a compact stance with above-average bat speed. Jones could develop into a high on-base percentage table-setter with gap power that gives him a chance to hit 12-15 home runs a year. Once he gets on base, his plus-plus speed makes him a weapon on the basepaths. Defensively, his range, body control and plus arm are a fit at shortstop, but his hands need to get softer. Jones was limited at shortstop in 2019 because he had a sore shoulder early in his final college season. His arm bounced back in 2020. He showed plus arm strength and better accuracy. Center field is a viable backup plan.
  
  THE FUTURE: The pandemic means Jones will get his first full-season at-bat as a 23-year-old. He's seven months older than Juan Soto. Jones' athleticism is exciting, but he needs to make up for lost time.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Jones was considered one of the more intriguing prospects of the 2017 high school class thanks to his speed, switch-hitting ability and his glove at shortstop. He made it to UNC Wilmington and followed up a mediocre freshman year and strikeout-filled Cape Cod League appearance with an excellent sophomore season (.341/.491/.543) that carried over into his pro debut.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Jones had an inconsistent summer as a late addition to the Rays' alternate training site and sat out much of instructional league with a minor knee injury. He has a discerning eye at the plate with a level swing and adequate hand-eye coordination. He coils into his back leg before exploding out of a compact stance with above-average bat speed. Jones could develop into a high on-base percentage table-setter with gap power that gives him a chance to hit 12-15 home runs a year. Once he gets on base, his plus-plus speed makes him a weapon on the basepaths. Defensively, his range, body control and plus arm are a fit at shortstop, but his hands need to get softer. Jones was limited at shortstop in 2019 because he had a sore shoulder early in his final college season. His arm bounced back in 2020. He showed plus arm strength and better accuracy. Center field is a viable backup plan.
  
  THE FUTURE: The pandemic means Jones will get his first full-season at-bat as a 23-year-old. He's seven months older than Juan Soto. Jones' athleticism is exciting, but he needs to make up for lost time.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Jones was considered one of the more intriguing prospects of the 2017 high school class thanks to his speed, switch-hitting ability and his glove at shortstop. He made it to UNC Wilmington and followed up a mediocre freshman year and strikeout-filled Cape Cod League appearance with an excellent sophomore season (.341/.491/.543) that carried over into his pro debut.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Jones had an inconsistent summer as a late addition to the Rays' alternate training site and sat out much of instructional league with a minor knee injury. He has a discerning eye at the plate with a level swing and adequate hand-eye coordination. He coils into his back leg before exploding out of a compact stance with above-average bat speed. Jones could develop into a high on-base percentage table-setter with gap power that gives him a chance to hit 12-15 home runs a year. Once he gets on base, his plus-plus speed makes him a weapon on the basepaths. Defensively, his range, body control and plus arm are a fit at shortstop, but his hands need to get softer. Jones was limited at shortstop in 2019 because he had a sore shoulder early in his final college season. His arm bounced back in 2020. He showed plus arm strength and better accuracy. Center field is a viable backup plan.
  
  THE FUTURE: The pandemic means Jones will get his first full-season at-bat as a 23-year-old. He's seven months older than Juan Soto. Jones' athleticism is exciting, but he needs to make up for lost time.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: After a modest freshman season and a summer in the Cape Cod League where he struggled with strikeouts, Jones blossomed as a draft-eligible sophomore at UNC-Wilmington and finished in the top 10 in Division I in triples and stolen bases. A sore shoulder limited his time at shortstop in college and early in his pro debut, but he played shortstop almost everyday in July and August.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Jones is the most athletic player in the Rays’ system. He will turn in 70 times on the 20-to-80 scouting scale from home to first and better than that when he’s going first-to-third. He has BA GRADE 55 Risk: High BA GRADE 50 Risk: High BA GRADE 50 Risk: High above-average bat speed and average power potential long-term thanks to strong hands, and an ability to whip the bat through the strike zone. He finished among the New York-Penn League’s leaders in most offensive categories in his pro debut, helped in part by a likely unsustainable .467 batting average on balls in play. There remains plenty of debate over whether he’s best at shortstop or center fielder. Jones can make the highlight play and has above-average arm strength, but his hands are fringy so far and his throwing accuracy needs to improve. His speed and athleticism would make him a plus defender in center.
  
  THE FUTURE: Jones has explosive athleticism, but it’s his ability to be a switch hitter who hits stinging line-drives that makes him a fascinating prospect. The Rays love multi-position players, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they moved Jones around eventually, but for now he needs to try to master shortstop.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: After a modest freshman season and a summer in the Cape Cod League where he struggled with strikeouts, Jones blossomed as a draft-eligible sophomore at UNC-Wilmington and finished in the top 10 in Division I in triples and stolen bases. A sore shoulder limited his time at shortstop in college and early in his pro debut, but he played shortstop almost everyday in July and August.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Jones is the most athletic player in the Rays' system. He will turn in 70 times on the 20-to-80 scouting scale from home to first and better than that when he's going first-to-third. He has above-average bat speed and average power potential long-term thanks to strong hands, and an ability to whip the bat through the strike zone. He finished among the New York-Penn League's leaders in most offensive categories in his pro debut, helped in part by a likely unsustainable .467 batting average on balls in play. There remains plenty of debate over whether he's best at shortstop or center fielder. Jones can make the highlight play and has above-average arm strength, but his hands are fringy so far and his throwing accuracy needs to improve. His speed and athleticism would make him a plus defender in center.
  
  THE FUTURE: Jones has explosive athleticism, but it's his ability to be a switch hitter who hits stinging line-drives that makes him a fascinating prospect. The Rays love multi-position players, so it wouldn't be surprising if they moved Jones around eventually, but for now he needs to try to master shortstop.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  Jones showed no signs of slowing down after the college season and was a dynamic offensive force for Hudson Valley. Among batters with at least 100 plate appearances, Jones ranked among the NYPL leaders in batting average (.335), on-base percentage (.413), stolen bases (19) and OPS (.874). Jones was prone to swinging and missing in college but showed more feel to hit in the NYPL. His two-strike approach has helped him make more consistent contact. His power is below-average from both sides of the plate, but he makes the most of his top-of-the-scale speed to wreak havoc on the bases. While Jones’ range is good at shortstop, evaluators are split on whether he should move to center field and take advantage of his above-average arm and plus-plus speed. Jones’ athletic ability and feel to put the barrel on the ball should help him rise through the Rays’ system as a potential top-of-the-order hitter.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  A late-rising high school prospect in the 2017 draft class, Jones ranked No. 75 on the 2017 BA 500 thanks to his elite speed, plus throwing arm and potential as a switch-hitter. Ultimately, Jones made it to campus at UNC Wilmington due to his lack of track record and the fact that he was older for the class. Now a draft-eligible sophomore, Jones has the same collection of tantalizing tools but is putting together a strong spring with the bat after a mediocre freshman season (.278/.412/.370). Scouts questioned Jones' hit tool prior to this spring, especially after he struggled in the Cape Cod League last summer with a strikeout rate close to 30 percent. This spring, however, Jones has cut his whiff rate down to 13 percent through 47 games, striking out 29 times compared to 40 walks. He's hit for more power in games as well, although he does most of his damage via doubles and triples. His 80-grade speed has also shown up on the base paths, where he has 31 stolen bases through his first 38 attempts. Jones didn't play shortstop at the beginning of the season while he was dealing with shoulder soreness, but even when he got back to the position scouts wondered if he had the skill to stay there at the next level. He has the plus arm strength, range and athleticism to handle shortstop, but he lacks consistency and focus, often struggling on routine plays with questionable hands. He could be a plus defender in center field with his current skill set, and many scouts will submit him to their teams as an outfielder rather than a shortstop. Jones' upside is tremendous, and he could grow into above-average raw power as he fills out his 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame with plenty of bat speed from both sides.