Jason Delaney

Jason John Delaney

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 220 lb.
• School Boston College
• High School Boston College High School

• Born November 9, 1982 in Boston, MA USA

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Jason Delaney reached AAA in 2008.

After hitting .510 as a high school senior, Delaney was named as a third-team All-American by the National High School Coaches Association. Delaney hit .348 and slugged .464 as a freshman at BC in 2002. In 2003, he batted .283/.351/.462. As a junior, Delaney batted .368 and slugged .574. He tied for fourth in the Big East Conference in batting average and made the All-Conference team in the outfield.

Delaney only hit .206 and slugged .235 for the Falmouth Commodores in the 2004 Cape Cod League, hurting his stock. He returned to BC for a senior season, in which he produced at a .337/.418/.538 clip. He had a .336 average overall at BC and his 256 hits were a school record. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Delaney in the 12th round of the 2005 amateur draft. He was signed by scout Buddy Paine and made his pro debut that summer.

Delaney began his professional career with the Williamsport Crosscutters and struggled in his transition to the wood bat, hitting .213/.281/.254 in 55 games with nothign further than a double.

Delaney showed he can hit in pro ball in 2006, with the Hickory Crawdads. He hit .300/.379/.432 and was sixth in the South Atlantic League in batting average.

Delaney was even sharper to start 2007, hitting .340/.432/.536 for the Lynchburg Hillcats in 72 games. He was leading the Carolina League in average, OBP and hits (85), was third with 38 walks and fourth in slugging. That led to his promotion to the Altoona Curve. A first baseman with Lynchburg, he moved to the outfield due to Steve Pearce manning first base. With Andrew McCutchen in center and Neil Walker at third, it meant that the top four Pirates offensive prospects (arguably) were all on the same team. Delaney returned to first base when Pearce was called up to Indianapolis. Delaney had a RBI in 12 straight games in July, setting an Altoona record. He finished with a .265/.370/.404 line in 65 games for Altoona. Overall, his season batting record was .304/.403/.474 with 16 home runs and 74 RBI.

Delaney began 2008 with Altoona, hitting .292/.403/.422 in 109 games. He was leading the Eastern League with 68 walks and was 6th in OBP. At that point, he was called up to Indianapolis during a ripple effect when Adam LaRoche was hurt. He batted .255/.364/.337 in 30 contests for the Indians. He led Pirate farmhands with 85 walks and his .395 OBP.

In 2009, Jason was again with Altoona (.271/.357/.400 in 125 G) and Indianapolis (0 for 3, BB), not performing as well as in 2008.

Sources: Altoona Curve bio, MILB.com, The Baseball Cube, 2003-2008 Baseball Almanacs, BC bio