Jeffrey Allen Jones (born July 29, 1956) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

. He played for the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) from 1980 until 1984. He served as

pitching coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decision ...

for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

of MLB from 2011 to 2015.

Personal

Born in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, Jeff graduated from nearby Southgate High School, (now Southgate Anderson High School) in

Southgate, Michigan Southgate is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, United States. The population was 30,047 at the 2020 census. Southgate was incorporated as a city on October 8, 1958, which was one of the last remaining portions of the now-defunct Ecorse Townshi ...

. He has two grown daughters, Audrey and Whitney, and lives in

Carleton, Michigan Carleton is a village in Monroe County, Michigan, United States. The population was 2,326 at the 2020 census. The village is located within Ash Township. History The community was first platted in 1872 by Daniel Matthews, who had worked previou ...

with his wife.

Playing career

Jones pitched for five seasons in Oakland (1980–84), almost entirely out of the bullpen (three starts in 112 appearances). He compiled a 9–9 record and eight saves with a 3.95 ERA, striking out 128 batters in 205 innings.

Coaching career

Jones was the pitching coach for the Double-A

London Tigers The London Tigers were a professional Double-A Minor League Baseball team that played in the Eastern League from 1989 to 1993. They played at Labatt Memorial Park in London, Ontario, and were affiliated with the Detroit Tigers. At the time, it ...

in 1989, 1991 and 1992. He then went to the Triple-A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A baseball team nicknamed the ...

in 1990 and 1994 to be their pitching coach. After numerous stints as the Tigers bullpen coach, most recently 2007–2011, Jones was moved to the position of pitching coach on July 3, 2011. This followed the firing of pitching coach

Rick Knapp Richard A. Knapp (born December 11, 1961) is an American professional baseball pitching coach for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was previously a pitching coach for the Detroit Tigers. Knapp served as the Tigers pitching c ...

, after a six-game stretch where Tiger pitchers gave up a combined 54 runs against the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

and

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

. Jones' contract expired at the end of the 2011 season, but the Tigers chose to tender a new contract to bring him back for 2012 and beyond. On October 19, 2015, Jones announced his retirement, following 38 years in baseball. During his tenure as pitching coach, Jones coached two Tigers pitchers to

Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (baseball), National League (NL). The award was introduced in 1956 by Commissioner of Baseball ( ...

Justin Verlander Justin Brooks Verlander ( ; born February 20, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, and New York M ...

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, and

Max Scherzer Maxwell Martin Scherzer (born July 27, 1984), nicknamed "Mad Max", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tige ...

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Jeff 1956 births Living people Baseball coaches from Michigan Baseball players from Detroit Chattanooga Lookouts players Daytona Beach Explorers players Detroit Tigers coaches Glens Falls Tigers players Jersey City A's players Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Major League Baseball pitchers Minor league baseball coaches Modesto A's players Oakland Athletics players Ogden A's players Sportspeople from Monroe County, Michigan Tacoma Tigers players Tigres de Aragua players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Toledo Mud Hens players United States national baseball team people 20th-century American sportsmen