#7 Charles "Chuckie" Jones, OF. BD: 7/28/1992. 6'3", 235 lbs. B-R, T-R.
Rookie AZL: .279/.360/.461, 7 2B, 4 3B, 5 HR, 6 SB, 2 CS in 165 AB.
Chuckie Jones was a relatively unknown high school player from Boonville(that's right, there actually is a Boonville), MO who couldn't afford to ride the showcase circuit. The Giants scouts knew who he was though and the Giants drafted him in the 7'th round last summer. He signed quickly and went to the Rookie Arizona League well before his 18'th birthday and turned in one of the more impressive performances I can recall for a high school position player draftee out of the box. He slumped a bit at the end of the season hitting just .202 over his last 10 games, but prior to that he hit for average, power, plate discipline and showed a bit of speed. He played CF to boot. In other words, he was the complete package.
Chuckie comes with a compelling story. In addition to growing up in a small town, he lost his mother at age 14. A good enough athlete to play QB on his HS football team, his passion is for baseball and he grew up idolizing Albert Pujols. He actually hoped to get drafted by the Cardinals and was told they were considering him in the 7'th round, but the Giants grabbed him just 1 pick earlier. In video interviews, he comes across as extremely mature for his age and willing to take advice from adults in his life.
He's a big kid, but in the videos I've seen does not look at all overweight. He's just a big boned kid who looks eerily similar to his idol Albert Pujols. At his size, I'm guessing he will eventually be a corner OF, but he's athletic enough to play CF for now and that's a real good sign. The Giants could send him to low A Augusta this season or they could keep him in instructional league and then send him to short season Salem-Keizer. Either way, he is a prospect I am very high on.
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Good call, Doc. I have Jones at #6, in fact. I think he has an excellent chance to be our RF post-2015. Or even a CF if Brown and Parker don't pan out.
ReplyDeleteI don't recall being this excited about a non-first-round selection EVER. I am firmly esconced in the Chuckie bandwagon (chuckwagon?).
I agree that Jones is very exciting. But a K-rate of 37% is worrisome no matter how young a prospect is.
ReplyDeleteLyle...
ReplyDeleteNitpick alert...
Belt was a 5th rounder.
Just saying.
Thanks DrB, I enjoy reading about prospects like Jones, whom I wasn't aware of. Sounds promising, big athetic kid out of high school with a nice debut. He must not have been recruited by any college since he signed quick. Being a college baseball follower also, freshman tend to struggle there too, so its always a good sign for the player to experience some early success. Will be interesting to follow his progress this year
ReplyDeleteI've watched Chuckie play baseball since he was 9. He's always been bigger, stronger and faster than anyone. He's big, all muscle, and more than just a bit fast (6.6-6.7 in the 60). He has plus power and plus speed. He was recruited by D1 schools in baseball and football, but he made it known early that he was going to sign a pro contract if selected in the draft. Regarding his K rate, he'd only had 1 summer of quality coaching before the draft. He'd not seen top quality pitching on a regular basis. They will fix the holes in his swing and the Ks will drop. Remember with his birthdate, he could still be in high school this year. He's a wonderful young man and Boonville, MO is proud of him.
ReplyDeleteNICK
ReplyDeleteJUST IN CASE YOU GUYS WANT TO KNOW A LITTLE CLOSER PERSPECTIVE, I WATCHED CHUCKIE PLAY ALL THE WAY THROUGH CAL RIPKEN AND HIGH SCHOOL. HE ACTUALLY WAS RECRUITED BY SEVERAL COLLEGES INCLUDING MIZZOU, BUT MOST STAYED AWAY AFTER HIS JUNIOR YEAR BECAUSE THEY KNEW HE WAS EITHER GOING PRO OR A JUNIOR COLLEGE. IF A KID CHOOSES DIVISION ONE SCHOOLS OVER PRO BALL HE MUST PLAY THREE YEARS OF COLLEGE BEFORE HE IS ELIGIBLE, CHUCKIE KNEW HE WAS NOT GOING TO WAIT THREE YEARS. TRUST ME GUYS, I AM A DIE HARD CARDINAL FAN, BUT YOU HAVE A MAJOR LEAGUE TALENT ON YOUR HANDS.