Jahmai Jones Overcomes Slow Start

Best Player

A slow start by Jahmai Jones at low Class A Burlington, where the 19-year-old center fielder hit .167 in 18 April games, did not concern the Angels.

“We knew his process was good. He was not changing who he was because things were not falling his way,” farm director Mike LaCassa said. “He was learning pitchers, making adjustments game to game. We were excited about his approach, and in May it clicked.”

Since his slow start, Jones, a 2015 second-rounder out of high school in Norcross, Ga., hit .291/.359/.418 with two home runs and 15 doubles in 53 games. He struck out just 15 percent of the time, while making strides defensively and showing good speed, with 14 stolen bases on the season.

The 6-foot, 215-pound Jones is an explosive athlete with NFL bloodlines—his father and two brothers played in or are playing in the NFL.

“Everything we’ve said in the past about his makeup and his aptitude is showing up now in A-ball as a teenager,” LaCassa said. “He might not be the tallest, but he’s not little—he’s thick and strong. He’s a plus runner. He’s going to have power. The ball jumps off his bat.”

Biggest Leap Forward

LaCassa described Chris Rodriguez as a “skinny little 17-year-old” last summer after the Angels drafted the 6-foot-2, 185-pound righthander out of Monsignor Pace High in Miami. Now? “We think we got an absolute steal in the fourth round,” LaCassa said.

Rodriguez added 10 pounds to his frame over the offseason, and his average velocity has jumped from 92 mph last summer to 94-95 this season. He had a rough first two starts at Rookie-level Orem, giving up 12 earned runs and 11 hits in six innings, but that hasn’t dimmed the Angels’ hopes.

“His aptitude, character and work ethic are off the charts,” LaCassa said. “He’s athletically and physically gifted. With the explosiveness of his delivery, we know there is more stuff to come. This is a kid who has all the makings of a top-of-the-rotation starter.”

Rodriguez’s four-seam and two-seam fastballs are distinct enough to be considered two different pitches, the latter showing so much movement that some mistake it for a slider. He has a sharper-breaking slider, a good curve and an improving changeup.

“It’s about more than a velocity spike,” LaCassa said. “We’re also excited about his continual development of three secondary pitches . . . He’s gonna be a four-pitch pitcher.”