Andrew Jones (Croatia)

From BR Bullpen

Andrew Maxwell Jones

Biographical Information[edit]

Andrew Jones has played for the Croatian national team.

Jones hit .300 as a junior college freshman and .440 with 14 HR, 53 runs and 58 RBI in 46 games as a sophomore. [1] Transferring to the University of Tampa, he hit .385/?/.603 as a junior and was All-Sunshine State Conference. He was again All-SCC as a senior, batting .353 and playing error-free defense. [2] He then signed with Germany's Berlin Sluggers for 2013, hitting .276/.306/.483 and tying Vincent Ahrens for 4th in the Bundesliga-1 north with 20% caught stealing as a catcher. [3] He also coached for them. [4]

Moving to the Mainz Athletics for 2014, he fielded .990 and produced at a .283/.349/.416 clip with 23 RBI in 28 games. He led the southern Bundesliga-1 with 281 putouts, 26 ahead of Michael Stephan. [5] He played for Croatia's Nada Split in 2016. In the 2016 CEB Cup, he beat Sergii Shtapura of KNTU Elizavetgrad but lost to Thomas Langloys and the Montpellier Barracudas. He hit .333/.400/.389 with four runs in five games, fielded .947 and had a 5.40 ERA. [6]

He had a 5.87 ERA and no decisions in the 2017 CEB Cup while hitting .438/.500/.438 with five RBI in five games, but fielded .706, now manning shortstop. He was 7th in the event in average, tied for 4th in hits (7) and tied for 7th in RBI but led in errors. [7] He was MVP of the Croatian finals in 2019. [8]

He had obtained Croatian citizenship by 2021 and was thus able to play for Croatia's national team. In the 2021 European Championship, he was their starting left fielder. He grounded out his first at-bat, against Germany's Enorbel Marquez but later had a bunt single off him. He was the starting pitcher their second game, allowing three runs (one earned) in seven and trailing Ukrainian national team and Heorhii Hvrytishvili. Antonio Horvatić took over with a 3-2 deficit but Croatia rallied off Ukraine's bullpen so he did not take the loss. His other pitching appearance was not as good. Versus Czechia, he relieved Nino Kruhek with two outs in the 4th, one out and a 7-2 deficit. He retired former minor leaguer Matěj Hejma to end the inning. In the 5th, he gave up a double to Petr Čech, retired Jakub Malík and allowed a RBI double to Marek Chlup, who scored on an error on the play. Vojtěch Menšík tripled and Martin Zelenka singled to make it 9-2. Karlo Kos relieved and the inherited runner scored. In the 7th/8th place game against Belgium, he was 3 for 4 with a walk, 2 doubles, 3 runs and 3 RBI in a 12-8 win as Croatia got their best finish in a European Championship to that point. He finished the 2021 Euros at .278/.350/.389 with five runs in six games, a 6.75 ERA, no errors, six putouts and two assists. He was 3rd on Croatia in runs, one behind Jose Herrera and Horvatić. [9]

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