Jahmai Jones
Jahmai Fitzgerald Jones
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 215 lbs.
- High School Wesleyan School
- Debut August 31, 2020
- Born August 4, 1997 in Roswell, GA USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Jahmai Jones of the Brewers is the only MLB player in the modern era to hit a game-tying three-run double (or triple) in his first at bat with his new team. - OptaStats [1]
Outfielder Jahmai Jones was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in the 2nd round of the 2015 amateur draft. He was ranked by Baseball America as the Angels' #2 prospect after the 2015 season and the #1 prospect after the 2016 season [2].
Jones' father Andre [3], was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL, and played for the Detroit Lions in 1992. He died in 2011 when Jahmai was just 14. His older brother T.J. Jones [4] played wide receiver for the Lions in 2015-2018 and New York Giants in 2019.
Although Jahmai was a highly-rated prospect, his minor league career during 2015-2019 was spotty. Granted, he started at age 17, but during the five-year period he had a batting line of .258/.338/.386 along with 96 stolen bases. However, when he came to the majors in 2020, he made the most of his opportunity, appearing in 3 games and going 3-for-7, with 2 runs and an RBI. He had just turned 23 years old, so he was still quite young. Indeed, the Baltimore Orioles saw some potential in him, as, following the season, they traded veteran starting pitcher Alex Cobb to the Angels on February 2, 2021, in order to add Jahmai to their roster. He played just 26 games for the Birds that season, hitting .149 without a homer and 3 RBIs, then was out of the big leagues for all of 2022 and the start of 2023.
He had signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as free agent in July of 2022, but then was released on July 1, 2023 without having returned to the majors, when he opted out of his contract [5]. Two days later, he was signed as a free agent by the Milwaukee Brewers and immediately added to the big league roster. That same day, he hit a three-run double as a pinch-hitter in the 7th inning against the Chicago Cubs, tying the game at 6-6, before Milwaukee went on to win, 8-6, having erased a six-run deficit. He went 2 for 10 in 7 games for the Brewers with no homer and the three RBI.
He went to spring training with the Brewers in 2024, but was placed on waivers at the end of February and was claimed by the New York Yankees. He made the team as a utility player but saw very little action in the first couple of weeks, with no starts and only 3 1/3 innings in the field until he finally got an opportunity to start a game on April 20th, at second base against the Tampa Bay Rays. He hit his first career homer on May 12th in what was only his 7th at-bat of the season, when he got a rare opportunity to start in left field against the Tampa Bay Rays; he connected off Tyler Alexander in the 3rd inning.
Further Reading[edit]
- Bryan Hoch: "Yanks' Jones delivers Mother's Day gift with first MLB HR: 'We've been through a lot together,' Jones says of mom after hitting 1st of NY's 5 blasts", mlb.com, May 12, 2024. [6]
- Tim Stebbins: "In 1st MLB at-bat in 2 years, Jones lifts Crew to dramatic comeback", mlb.com, July 3, 2023. [7]
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