Ryder Jones

Ryder Jones
Jones with the Richmond Flying Squirrels in 2016
Third baseman / Pitcher
Born: (1994-06-07) June 7, 1994 (age 30)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 24, 2017, for the San Francisco Giants
Last MLB appearance
September 9, 2018, for the San Francisco Giants
MLB statistics
Batting average.184
Home runs4
Runs batted in8
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

Ryder McKinley Jones (born June 7, 1994) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants.

Playing career

San Francisco Giants

Jones attended Watauga High School in Boone, North Carolina and was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the second round of the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft.[1][2]

He made his professional debut with the Arizona League Giants.[3] Jones played 2014 with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes and Augusta GreenJackets, 2015 with the San Jose Giants and 2016 with the Richmond Flying Squirrels.[4][5] After the 2016 season, he played in the Arizona Fall League.[6] Jones started the 2017 season with the Sacramento River Cats.[7]

On June 24, 2017, the Giants promoted Jones to the major leagues.[8] He made his debut later that night, starting at third base against the New York Mets. On June 30, 2017, Jones recorded his first career hit against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jones played in 53 games for the Giants in 2017 with 40 starts (27 at first base and 13 at third base).

On July 21, 2019, Jones was designated for assignment.[9] After not being claimed by another team, the Giants assigned Jones to their Double-A affiliate the Richmond Flying Squirrels. Jones elected free agency following the season on November 4.[10]

Boston Red Sox

On February 4, 2020, Jones signed a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox. He did not play in a game for the organization in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[11] Jones became a minor-league free agent on November 2.[12]

Sugar Land Skeeters

In August 2020, Jones signed on to play for the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Constellation Energy League (a makeshift four-team independent league created as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic) for the 2020 season.[13] He was subsequently named to the league's all-star team.[14]

Arizona Diamondbacks

On February 6, 2021, Jones signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. In 2021, Jones appeared in 75 games split between the Rookie-Ball Arizona Complex League Diamondbacks, Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles, and Triple-A Reno Aces. He hit .288 with 11 home runs and 47 RBI. Jones became a free agent following the season.

Chicago White Sox

On January 14, 2022, Jones signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox.[15] In 67 games for the Triple–A Charlotte Knights, he slashed .196/.269/.318 with seven home runs and 27 RBI. Jones was released by the White Sox organization on August 3.

Atlanta Braves

On January 7, 2023, Jones signed a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves while also announcing that he would be converting to a pitcher. [16] He appeared in 13 games for the High–A Rome Braves, but struggled to a 7.53 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 14+1⁄3 innings pitched. On July 27, Jones was released by the Braves organization.[17]

Post-playing career

Jones joined the Tampa Bay Rays organization as an area scout in November 2023.[18]

References

  1. ^ Pleskoff, Bernie (August 29, 2013). "First look: Giants 2013 Draft pick Ryder Jones". MLB.com. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  2. ^ Journal, Scott Hamilton/Winston-Salem. "Hamilton: Ryder Jones is in a can't-lose position". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  3. ^ "WHS Standout Ryder Jones Debuts With San Francisco Giants". www.hcpress.com. July 2, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  4. ^ By, Steve Behr. "WHS grad Ryder Jones opens season as Flying Squirrel". Watauga Democrat. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  5. ^ Times-Dispatch, JOHN O’CONNOR Richmond. "Duct tape secured swing path of Squirrels' Ryder Jones". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  6. ^ "Giants prospect Jones finds power at perfect time in Arizona Fall League". NBCS Bay Area. October 31, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  7. ^ "Down on the Farm: Giants prospect Jones adds outfield to his arsenal". NBCS Bay Area. May 10, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  8. ^ Haft, Chris. "Giants promote Jones, designate Hill". MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 27, 2017. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  9. ^ Henry Schulman (July 21, 2019). "Giants part ways with pitcher Derek Holland, infielder Ryder Jones". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  10. ^ Matt Eddy (November 7, 2019). "Minor League Free Agents 2019". Baseball America. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  11. ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season cancelled". mlb.com. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  12. ^ Campbell, Brendan (November 2, 2020). "Former Red Sox utilityman Tzu-Wei Lin is now a minor-league free agent". bloggingtheredsox.com. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  13. ^ Dunsmore, Ryan (July 9, 2020). "Skeeters set rosters for summer league". Fort Bend Herald. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  14. ^ "Constellation Energy League All-Star Team". Sugar Land Skeeters. September 3, 2020. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020 – via Wayback Machine.
  15. ^ Hicks, James (January 14, 2022). "White Sox Re-Sign Kyle Crick, Sign Ryder Jones". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  16. ^ "Ryder Jones Stats, Fantasy & News".
  17. ^ "Transactions".
  18. ^ "Ryder Jones - Area Scout - Tampa Bay Rays". linkedin.com. Retrieved December 19, 2024.