Bobby Jones (jonesbo04)

Robert Mitchell Jones

• Bats Right, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.
• School Chipola Junior College
• High School Rutherford High School
• Debut May 18, 1997
• Final Game April 11, 2004
• Born April 11, 1972 in Orange, NJ USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Bobby Jones is one of two major league pitchers by that name. Both players were with the 2000 Mets as well as the 2002 Padres.

Bobby moved to Rutherford, NJ in 1981 and played in the Rutherford Little League from 1982-1984. In 1991, he was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 44th round as a draft-and follow. He signed prior to the 1992 draft and was assigned to Helena in the Pioneer League (Rookie), where he went 5-4.

Jones rose through the Brewers' organization, playing at Beloit (Midwest League, low A) in 1993 and Stockton (California League, high A) in 1994. Following the 1994 season, the Colorado Rockies chose Jones in the minor league phase of the 1994 Rule V Draft.

In 1995, Jones spent most of the season with the New Haven Ravens (Eastern League, AA), who lost the league championship series to Reading. Around the All-Star break, he spent a month with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Pacific Coast League, AAA). He was back with the Sky Sox in 1996 and 1997, and he was 5-1 that second season when the Rockies called him up to replace the injured Bill Swift on the roster. Jones made his major league debut at Shea Stadium against his boyhood team, the New York Mets, on May 18th. He got a no-decision in that game, won by the Mets, but earned the victory in his next start, at Coors Field against the Houston Astros.

Jones spent all of 1998 and most of 1999 with the Denver club, splitting his time between the starting rotation and the bullpen. In early 2000, the Rockies traded Jones to the Mets, meaning he and Bobby J. Jones were now on the same roster. The two had faced each other in a 1998 game, with the Rockies' pitcher earning the victory.

Jones spent the 2001 season on the disabled list, but came back to the Mets in 2002 before being traded to the San Diego Padres, ironically becoming reunited there with Bobby J. Jones. He spent 2003 in Triple-A, starting with the Richmond Braves and finishing with the Omaha Royals. He was a non-roster invitee in spring training in 2004 with the Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers and made the big club from there, but after 3 games, his last at the major league level, he went into rehabilitation. After a brief stint with the independent Newark Bears in 2005, the Chicago White Sox picked him up and assigned him to Triple-A Charlotte.

For 2006, Jones signed by the Detroit Tigers but started the season with the AA Erie SeaWolves of the Eastern League. That was his last professional team, except for a one-game comeback with the Rockland Boulders of the independent Can-Am Association in 2013, at the age of 41.

He was named manager of the Sussex County Miners for 2016 and he remained the Miners' manager through the 2022 season. The Miners played in the Can-Am Association through 2019 before switching to the Frontier League in 2021. Jones led the Miners to a league championship in his third season at the helm. He left the Miners after the 2022 season to become the Vice-President and Chief Business Officer for the New Jersey Jackals, also of the Frontier League.

Year-By-Year Minor League Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs
2016	Sussex County Miners	Can-Am Association	39-61	6th	Independent Leagues
2017	Sussex County Miners	Can-Am Association	45-54	4th	Independent Leagues	Lost in 1st round
2018	Sussex County Miners	Can-Am Association	63-38	1st	Independent Leagues	League Champs
2019	Sussex County Miners	Can-Am Association	61-33	1st	Independent Leagues	Lost league final
2021	Sussex County Miners	Frontier League	49-46	8th	Independent Leagues
2022	Sussex County Miners	Frontier League	54-41	5th (t)	Independent Leagues

Related Sites

• Bobby Jones at the SABR Bio Project
• Rutherford Little League Salutes Bobby Jones