The Colorado Rockies Have Traded for Greg Jones. Now What?

The news dropped Thursday morning:

The Colorado Rockies also designated Sam Hilliard for assignment.

The move came as a bit of a surprise given the Rockies’ acute need for pitching. (They have accumulated 37 arms over the course of the last season through trades and drafts.)

Joe Rock was ranked at #15 in the Rockies’ system as measured by MLB Pipeline. The 23 year old came out of Ohio University when the Rockies drafted him. He spent most of 2022 with High-A Spokane (4.43 ERA) with a late-season promotion to Double-A Hartford, where he would pick up in 2023. Although he fought injuries, Rock threw just over 90 innings, earning a 4.50 ERA. He pitched once for the Triple-A Isotopes before the season ended.

In Jones, the Rockies have picked up (another) infielder with tremendous speed and power potential.

So Tell Me About Greg Jones

I can do that.

Greg Jones, 26, was drafted in the first round by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019 out of the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. Here’s some video taken right after he signed with the Rays just to give you a sense of what the Rays saw in him when drafting him.

The switch hitter was terrific in 2019 and 2021 but struggled in 2022 (.238/.318/.392).

In 2023, Jones spent 51 games at Double-A (.278/.344/.468) and was promoted to Triple-A for 20 games until he injured a hamstring. (He has a history of injuries and has appeared in only 270 games.)

Still, here are some highlights for your consideration:

Jones has power, but the strikeouts are a problem. (His K% in 2023 was 38.6%.) He’s also stunningly fast. (In 2022, he stole 27 bases.) Add to that, he has a plus arm. Here’s how MLB Pipeline puts it:

A certain level of swing-and-miss will always be part of his game, but his continued struggles against offspeed pitches combined with an inability to stay healthy makes Jones a frustrating prospect to evaluate. He hits fastballs well enough but has just enough bat speed and raw power to get himself in trouble, as he might occasionally be better served just putting the ball in play and wreaking havoc with his elite speed.

Jones came up as an infielder though the Rays recently moved him to the outfield in an attempt to make the most of his speed. Plus, he had not proven to be an effective shortstop given a tendency to make errors (That improved after the Rays moved him to center field last year.)

“He’s a multi-positional player, with dynamic speed, and has shown a little bit of power, so we’ll see,” Bud Black told reporters on Thursday. “Hopefully, with a change of scenery, he can come into his own as a weapon that can help us beat opponents.”

It’s a move with potential.

What Happens Next?

Good question!

Jones has two options left, so the Rockies could send him to Albuquerque. However, Bud Black has not ruled out his beginning the season with the Rockies.

In fact, he was in Rockies training camp this morning.

Given that Jones is a switch hitter, he could provide the left-handed outfielder the Rockies had been looking for. (Clearly, that won’t be Sam Hilliard.) If they also decline to sign Bradley Zimmer, this might provide them with a way to keep Sean Bouchard and Michael Toglia up with Jones taking on some of Alan Trejo’s infield utility work.

But it’s all speculation. If I’m making predictions, I think Zimmer starts the season with the Rockies, and Bouchard and Greg Jones head to Albuquerque.

We’ll know next week.

What I’m Reading

• Thomas Harding reported earlier this week that Bud Black and Dick Monfort were negotiating a possible contract extension. Skyler Timmins explains why that’s a bad idea.

Wednesday Rockpile: Is a managerial extension for Bud Black really what the Rockies need?

Colorado Rockies news and links for Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Purple RowSkyler Timmins

• Sometimes, writers who don’t follow the Rockies write about them anyway. This is one of those times.

Offseason In Review: Colorado Rockies

The Rockies won 59 games last season and made almost no significant additions. They can expect some internal improvements, but …

MLB Trade RumorsAnthony Franco

Closing Thoughts

That’s it for this week. We’re less than a week away from Rockies baseball, which is excellent news! Look for my season preview next week.

Thanks for reading!

Renee