Ryder Jones Adds Versatility
Ryder Jones (Photo by Bill Mitchell)
SAN FRANCISCO—Third baseman Ryder Jones tried to add first baseman and left fielder to his résumé during his stint with Scottsdale in the Arizona Fall League.
The Giants’ second-round pick in 2013 hopes the variety will enhance his chances of reaching the big leagues.
“Part of the reason why I’m trying to play a little first and a little left field is because the closer you get (to the majors), especially with a National League team, you want to show that you can play multiple positions,” said Jones, 22.
While Jones did not play left field in a game, he worked quite a bit on learning the position.
“The outfield is just completely different,” Jones said. “It’s a little harder to stay locked in because you’re so far away from the hitter. Obviously, playing third base, it’s the hot corner. You have to be locked in every pitch.”
Jones hit .302 (19-for-63) in 18 games. The lefthanded hitter spent 2016 at Double-A Richmond and hit .247/.291/.397 with a career-high 15 homers and 26 doubles.
He comes from a baseball family. His brother Utah is a switch-hitting sophomore at North Carolina. His father Billy is a longtime college coach who’s an assistant at Tulane after four seasons as the head coach at Appalachian State.
Ryder clearly appreciates his father’s advice, though the younger Jones admits their relationship became strained soon after he signed with the Giants out of Watauga High in Boone, N.C.
“You try to separate the father and the coach,” Ryder said. “He cared so much and I cared so much that every game, I was asking him, like, ‘What’s wrong?’ . . .
“You just kind of learn that with 500 at-bats—600 in the big leagues—you’re going to have 15-20 at-bats or a couple of games where you don’t feel right. You just can’t freak out.”
GIANTICS
• Righthanders Tyler Rogers and Chris Stratton were the Giants’ representatives in AFL Fall Stars Game. Stratton went 1-0, 3.60 in 10 innings with the big club this season.
• Catcher Aramis Garcia, the 2014 second-round pick, hit .191 (9-for-47) with one home run in 15 games in the AFL. He spent most of the season on the high Class A San Jose disabled list after suffering a facial fracture.
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