College Baseball Daily continues our countdown to the start of the 2013 college baseball season by checking in on the Top 100 Players in the country. We will be adding players day-by-day until we get to number one!
Number 39 on our Top 100 Countdown is Louisiana State’s JaCoby Jones. The 6’3 second baseman from Richton, Mississippi was selected in the 19th round by the Houston Astros in 2010.
During his freshman season at LSU Jones played in all 56 games, starting each one at second base. During the season he batted .338 with 32 RBI, 36 runs, 11 doubles and 12 stolen bases. His success earned him both Freshman All-SEC and Freshman All-American honors. He continued his sophomore season as LSU’s starting second baseman, also making eight starts in centerfield. He batted .253 with 42 runs, 29 RBI and 13 doubles, hitting .282 during SEC play.
Jones spent both the 2011 & 2012 summers playing in the prestigious Cape Cod League for the Harwich Mariners. During the 2012 season, Jones posted a batting average of .272 including batting .375 during the playoffs. In addition, he also won the 2012 Cape Cod League Home Run Derby.
From a scouting perspective, Jones is a phenomenal athlete. He is fantastic defensively for a variety of reasons. In addition to his sheer athleticism, Jones has great arm strength, fantastic range and solid defensive intuition. At the plate he has good bat speed and as is evident by his performance in the CCBL Home Run Derby, the potential for plus power. Ultimately, his athleticism will take him far as his power continues to develop, making him one of the most exciting players to watch for during the 2013 season.
You can check out the rest of our Top 100 by clicking here.