Garrett Jones
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Garrett Thomas Jones (born June 21, 1981) is an American former professional
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
and
right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...
. He played in
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) for the
Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
,
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
,
Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...
, and
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
, and in
Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...
(NPB) for the
Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They h ...
.


High school

In 1999, Jones graduated from Victor J. Andrew High School in
Tinley Park, Illinois Tinley Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, Cook and Will County, Illinois, Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 55,971 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a suburb in the Chicago metropolitan ar ...
.


Professional career


Atlanta Braves

Jones was drafted by the
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
in the 14th round of the
1999 Major League Baseball Draft The 1999 Major League Baseball draft, was the annual choosing of high school and college baseball players, held on June 2 and 3, 1999. A total of 1,474 players were drafted over the course of 50 rounds. First round selections Supplemental fir ...
. Jones started his pro career with the
GCL Braves The Florida Complex League Braves are an American baseball team. They are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast Lea ...
in 1999. Jones played for the Danville Braves in 2000 and 2001. In May 2002, Jones was released after three seasons in the Braves'
minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...
system.


Minnesota Twins

Jones signed with the
Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
on May 24, 2002. In 2002, Jones played for the
Quad Cities River Bandits The Quad Cities River Bandits are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Their home games are played at Modern Woodmen Park (formerly John O'Donnell Stadium) in Davenport, Iowa, on ...
. In 2003, Jones played for the
Fort Myers Miracle The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Fort Myers, Florida, and play their home games at the Lee County Sports Complex at ...
. Jones split the 2004 season with Fort Myers and the
New Britain Rock Cats The New Britain Rock Cats were a minor league baseball team that competed in the Eastern League (1938–2020), Eastern League. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for 12 years, the Minnesota Twins for 20 years and the Colorado ...
. From 2005–2008, he played for the
Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...
, the Twins' AAA affiliate. On May 15, 2007, Jones made his major league debut, recording his first hit in the seventh inning, a single off
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
pitcher Paul Byrd. Jones appeared in 31 games with the Twins in 2007. Jones became a free agent at the end of the 2008 season.


Pittsburgh Pirates

Jones signed a minor league contract with the
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
on December 16, 2008. On June 30, 2009, Jones' contract was purchased by the Pirates, and he was called up to take the roster spot that was vacated when Eric Hinske was traded. On July 17, 2009, in a game against the
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 hit a home run in the first inning off
Tim Lincecum Timothy Leroy Lincecum ( ; born June 15, 1984), nicknamed "the Freak", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played ten seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the San Francisco Giants. A two-time Cy Young Award ...
, then ended the game in the 14th inning with his second home run of the game, off
Bob Howry Bobby Dean Howry (born August 4, 1973) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. Early life Howry attended, and played baseball at Deer Valley High School in Arizona, then he attended McNeese State University and was drafted b ...
, to give the Pirates a 2–1
walk-off win This is an alphabetical list of selected unofficial and specialized terms, phrases, and other jargon used in baseball, along with their definitions, including illustrative examples for many entries. 0–9 0 :"Oh and ..." See count. 1 ...
. After being called up to the Pirates MLB roster, Jones hit ten home runs in his first month with the club and was named the National League's Rookie of the Month for July 2009. Jones became the first to hit seven home runs in his first twelve games with the Pirates since Dino Restelli in the 1949 season. Jones's 10 home runs in July 2009 made him the first Pirate to hit 10 home runs in a month since
Jason Bay Jason Raymond Bay (born September 20, 1978) is a Canadian-American former professional baseball left fielder who played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Initially drafted by the Montreal Expos, he played for the San Diego Padres, Pitts ...
in May 2006 and the first Pirate to hit 10 home runs in a July since
Donn Clendenon Donn Alvin Clendenon (July 15, 1935 – September 17, 2005) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from to . He is most notable for his performance during the 1969 World Series when he ...
in 1966. On April 5, 2010, against the
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
, Jones hit two home runs in his first two at bats, becoming the sixth Pirate to hit two home runs on Opening Day. While the first was long into right field, landing in the Allegheny River, the second cleared the left field wall. On May 14 of that same year, Jones and
Andrew McCutchen Andrew Stefan McCutchen (born October 10, 1986) is an American professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Francisco Giants, New Y ...
each collected five hits in the Pirates' 10–6 victory over the
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
. It was the first time since 1970 that Pirate teammates had collected five hits in the same game; that year,
Willie Stargell Wilver Dornell Stargell (March 6, 1940 – April 9, 2001), nicknamed "Pops" later in his career, was an American professional baseball left fielder and first baseman who spent all of his 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) (1962– 1982 ...
and
Bob Robertson Robert Eugene Robertson (born October 2, 1946) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman between and , most notably as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates teams that won five Nation ...
had accomplished this feat. He finished the 2010 season with 145 hits, 64 runs, 34 doubles, one triple, 21 home runs, 86 RBIs, 53 walks, 123 strikeouts, 7 stolen bases, .247 batting average, .306 OBP, and .414 slugging percentage in 592 at bats. On June 2, 2013, Jones became the second player and first Pirate to hit a home run out of
PNC Park PNC Park is a baseball stadium on the North Shore (Pittsburgh), North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth location to serve as the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates. Opened during the 2001 Major League Baseb ...
and into the
Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ; ; ) is a tributary of the Ohio River that is located in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York in the United States. It runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border, nor ...
on the fly. On November 25, 2013, Jones was
designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...
to make room for Jaff Decker. On December 2, he was non-tendered by Pittsburgh, becoming a free agent.


Miami Marlins

Jones signed a two-year contract worth $7.5 million with the
Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...
. The deal was finalized on December 13, 2013. In 2014, Jones hit .246 in 146 games with 15 home runs and 53 RBIs.


New York Yankees

On December 19, 2014, the Marlins traded Jones to the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
, along with
Nathan Eovaldi Nathan Edward Eovaldi ( ; born February 13, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Mar ...
and
Domingo Germán Domingo Germán Polanco (; born August 4, 1992) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates. Germán was signed by the ...
, for Martin Prado and David Phelps. After he hit .215 with 5 home runs and 17 RBI, the Yankees designated Jones for assignment on July 31, after acquiring
Dustin Ackley Dustin Michael Ackley (born February 26, 1988) is an American former professional baseball second baseman and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees. Ackley played college baseball for ...
. However, Ackley injured his back days later, and Jones re-signed with the Yankees on August 5 after he cleared waivers. The Yankees designated Jones for assignment again on August 12, with Jones not appearing in any games since his return to the Yankees. He was released on August 20.


Yomiuri Giants

During the 2015–16 offseason, Jones signed a one-year contract with the
Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They h ...
of
Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...
's
Central League The or , also known as the for sponsorship reasons, is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League i ...
worth $2.8 million. He then returned for another season with Yomiuri.


Personal life

Jones met his wife Cassie in 2009 and were married in January 2013; the couple has one son Jaxon Jones. Cassie is the cousin of former MLB player and current
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
broadcaster
Ron Coomer Ronald Bryan Coomer (born November 18, 1966), nicknamed "Coom Dawg", is an American former first baseman and third baseman in Major League Baseball and the current color analyst and play-by-play broadcaster for the Chicago Cubs radio on WSCR 670 ...
.


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Garrett 1981 births Living people People from Tinley Park, Illinois Sportspeople from Harvey, Illinois Baseball players from Cook County, Illinois Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball right fielders Minnesota Twins players Pittsburgh Pirates players Miami Marlins players New York Yankees players Gulf Coast Braves players Danville Braves players Fort Myers Miracle players New Britain Rock Cats players Quad Cities River Bandits players Rochester Red Wings players Grand Canyon Rafters players Tigres de Aragua players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Indianapolis Indians players Yomiuri Giants players American expatriate baseball players in Japan