Ryder Jones, 3B. B-L, T-R. 6'2", 200 lbs. DOB: 4/7/1994.
Rookie AZL: .317/.394/.400, 1 HR, 9 2B, 14 BB, 38 K in 145 AB.
Ryder Jones was the Giants second round pick in the 2014 amateur draft out of HS in North Carolina. There was some concern that he had a commitment to Stanford, but ended up signing for close to slot. He is a bit on the old side for a HS draftee. He as a 2-way player in HS at SS and pitching where he sported a low 90's FB. The Giants drafted him as a 3B all the way.
He is bigger than first round pick Christian Arroyo and hit 11 HR's in HS, so was seen as more of a power hitter than Arroyo. That he had just 10 XBH's out of 45 total hits compared to Arroyo's 25 out of 60 was somewhat surprising, but there are obvious sample size and experience caveats at work here. Of the two, Jones started out hotter and cooled off in the last month of the season while Arroyo just kept getting stronger at the season progressed.
On video, Jones has almost ideal size for a hitter, not too small, not too big. He has an open stance up near the front of the batter's box and close to the plate with a bit of backward lean. His swing is pretty, but to my eye might be a bit long and a bit slow getting started.
Ryder Jones may have a higher ceiling than Arroyo, particularly in terms of power, but I think he's going to take more time to develop and may need to make more mechanical adjustments in his swing. He obviously has the arm to play on the left side of the IF. Most likely we'll see him starting at 3B in Augusta in 2014.
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If the Panda gets in tolerable shape (and, lately, no bad news is good news, I guess), and if they sign him, Jones should have all the time he needs to develop as a 3Bman, a left handed power hitting third base man.
ReplyDeleteWay too early to be projecting specific scenarios for how and when Ryder Jones breaks into the majors and what role he will play. It's all about organizational depth of talent and taking the best players available in the draft.
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