Brandon Jones Stats & Scouting Report

AB	148
AVG	.257
OBP	.313
SLG	.365
HR	1

Full name Brandon Lamon Jones
Born 12/10/1983 in Panama City, FL
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Tallahassee CC
Debut 09/16/2007
Drafted in the 24th round (727th overall) by the Atlanta Braves in 2003.

View Draft Report

Jones is more of an athlete than a baseball player, and the 2002 sixth-round pick was hampered by groin and hamstring problems this spring.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

A three-sport standout in high school who had offers to play college football, Jones took his game to the next level in 2007. After battling injuries the previous two seasons, he drove in 100 runs between the top two levels in the system and made his major league debut in September. His managers and coaches rave about Jones' presence and even-keel approach on the field. He carries himself with confidence and works tirelessly. He has budding power with a quick line-drive swing and a feel for the strike zone. An all-around athlete, he has improved his ability to use the entire field as well as the patience to wait for his pitch. He has plus speed and solid arm strength. While Jones' bat is ready for the majors, he needs to upgrade his defense in left field. He's taking better routes on fly balls, but he has to improve his throwing accuracy. While he runs the bases well, he can become a more proficient basestealer after getting caught seven times in 24 tries in 2007. The Braves consider Jones their long-term answer in left field, where Matt Diaz and Willie Harris split time last season. Jones probably will get another few months at Triple-A Richmond.
A baseball/basketball/football star in high school, Jones turned down the Royals as a sixth-rounder in 2002. The Braves aggressively pursue draft-and-follows, and that's how they signed him after taking him in the 24th round in 2003. He's the best all-around athlete in the system but has been sidelined by injuries in each of his two full seasons. Though he had just 20 extra-base hits at Myrtle Beach, managers rated Jones the best power prospect in the Carolina League. He makes hard contact and drives the ball into the gaps with his quick, line-drive swing. Jones possesses above-average wheels and could become a solid power-speed threat at the major league level. His plus range and strong arm enable him to play anywhere in the outfield. A broken left hand cost Jones two months in 2005, and he missed the last three weeks of 2006 after having surgery to repair a labrum tear in his throwing shoulder. He needs game action to add some loft to his swing and improve his pitch recognition. He also can improve his routes on fly balls and his instincts as a basestealer. While he still needs to polish many aspects of his game, he continues to attract comparisons with Matt Lawton and could emerge as Atlanta's long-term answer in left field. Jones should be healthy for spring training and likely will open 2007 in Double-A.
The Royals failed to sign Jones as a 2002 sixth-round pick out of high school, but the Braves took him in the 24th round a year later and landed him in 2004 as a draft-and-follow. He broke his left hand on a slide in late April 2005, costing him two months, and made steady progress once he returned. Jones has impressive tools and athleticism, with natural strength, raw power and a quick swing that should enable him to hit for average at higher levels. His above-average speed and strong arm allow him to play any outfield spot. Some scouts wonder if Jones will develop enough power to be a corner outfielder. He moves well but he has yet to grasp the nuances of baserunning. He also needs to take better angles on balls hit to the outfield. Jones displayed more polish than expected at high Class A. With just 440 at-bats under his belt, he needs a complete season in 2006. He could reach Double-A at some point during the year.
Had Atlanta not signed Jones out of Tallahassee (Fla.) CC as a draft-and-follow last May, he could have gone in the first three rounds of the 2004 draft. The Royals drafted him in the sixth round out of high school, where he played quarterback, defensive back and punter for his high school football team and also served as a point guard in basketball. Compared to Garret Anderson, Jones has solid tools across the board. Speed is his greatest asset, though he didn't run wild on the bases in his pro debut. At the plate, he's a line-drive hitter who has shown flashes of budding power that will continue to blossom as his body matures. He has good defensive instincts with above-average arm strength, skills that could enable him to man center field at higher levels. Jones remains a raw product, but the polish he displayed after some initial coaching has the Braves believing he could develop rapidly. He'll spend his first full season in low Class A.

Minor League Top Prospects

Jones hit .211 with two doubles in 38 at-bats during spring training, failing to take advantage of Atlanta's wide-open outfield situation, and his poor performance carried over into the regular season. The Braves believe that he simply put too much pressure on himself, and he didn't really snap out of it until he hit .319/.412/.569 with five homers in 18 games in August. With a quick lefty bat and a sweet line-drive swing, Jones has above-average hitting potential. Much of his trouble in Triple-A derived from spotty pitch recognition, and he got off balance when he tried to do too much, especially against lefthanders. He flashes occasional plus power to all fields, but his swing is geared more for doubles than home runs. An average runner, Jones gets down the first-base line quickly because of a clean swing. He's an average defender in left or right field, reading balls well off the bat and exhibiting a solid arm.
Jones posted the second-highest slugging percentage (.507) in the Southern League and didn't miss a beat after earning a late-July promotion to Richmond, where he helped the Braves win the IL wild card. With a confident, quiet setup and a sweet lefty swing, he projects to be an above-average major league hitter. He makes adjustments and stays inside the ball well, taking what pitchers give him. Jones has 20-homer potential, which is about average for a corner outfielder, and he rarely turned on pitches in the IL, prompting some to question his assertiveness as a potential middle-of-the-order hitter. An average runner, he gets down the line well because of his clean swing mechanics. But with below-average hands and defensive instincts and a slow release on throws, he's a left fielder all the way.
Injuries cut short Jones' last two seasons, but he moved closer to becoming a complete hitter in 2007. The three-sport star from a tiny town in the Florida panhandle climbed to Triple-A shortly after the all-star break and helped carry Richmond to the International League championship. Jones has a smooth lefthanded swing, keeping his barrel in the zone long enough to hit pitches deep over the plate as well as those out front. He hit 19 homers between Double-A and Triple-A, and his knack for making hard contact and his athleticism could produce above-average power numbers down the road. He has a bad habit of trying to lift balls, rather than letting his bat speed and hands do the work. His pitch recognition, two-strike approach and plate discipline are also assets. His speed, defense and arm are solid-average to plus tools "I'd have to imagine this was a hands-off prospect when they were making trades this year," the first AL scout said. "His approach was so easy and so mature at the plate. You're expecting a raw athlete who's rigid and jumping out on his front foot, but he's at home in the batter's box."
Though Jones had just 20 extra-base hits in 226 at-bats with Myrtle Beach, managers rated him the best power prospect in the league. He has a quick, line-drive stroke, and he should drive the ball more once he adds some loft to his swing and improves his pitch recognition. He had a hard time picking up breaking balls this year, which hurt his production. Jones is an above-average runner, though he's still learning how to read pitchers and get better jumps on the basepaths. The Braves have questioned his range in center field in the past, and he played mostly in left this season before undergoing season-ending labrum surgery following his promotion to Double-A. Scouts compare him to Matt Lawton, though there are still questions whether Jones will put up the offensive numbers desired from a corner outfielder.
The refrain from managers regarding Jones was common: He didn't stand out. Part of that was because he missed two months after breaking his left hand sliding into a base (feet first) against Columbus. Yet the physically gifted Jones--a high school quarterback and point guard as well as baseball star--does everything so easily, it often gets mistaken for nonchalance. Scouts say Jones doesn't lack aggressiveness at the plate. He's simply patient, content to spray singles the other way while ready to drop the bat head and show pull power when a pitch catches too much of the plate. His arm strength and plus speed allow him to play center field or right, though if his power stagnates, he could get caught as a tweener.