Greg Jones (baseball, born 1998)

Gregory Jones Jr. (born March 7, 1998) is an American professional baseball outfielder and shortstop for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024.

Early life
Jones was born in Cary, North Carolina. He is the son of Tammy and Greg Jones.

Jones attended Cary High School in Cary, North Carolina.

Amateur career
As a senior at Cary High School, he batted .429 with 18 stolen bases. He was ranked sixth in North Carolina and 133rd nationally by Perfect Game. He was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 17th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign. He instead chose to attend the University of North Carolina Wilmington where he played college baseball.

In 2018, as a freshman with the UNC Wilmington Seahawks, Jones played and started sixty games, batting .278 with four home runs, 21 runs batted in (RBIs), and 16 stolen bases. He played collegiate summer baseball for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League after the season, hitting .242 in 132 at-bats. In 2019, his sophomore year, he hit .341 with five home runs, 36 RBIs, and 42 stolen bases in 63 games, and was named the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year.

Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays selected Jones in the first round, with the 22nd overall selection, of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the Rays for $3 million. Jones made his professional debut with the Hudson Valley Renegades of the Low–A New York–Penn League. Over 48 games, he slashed .335/.413/.461 with one home run, 24 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases. Jones did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jones began the 2021 season with the Bowling Green Hot Rods of the High-A East and was promoted to the Montgomery Biscuits of the Double-A South in August. He missed time during the season due to a quadriceps injury. Over 72 games between the two clubs, he slashed .270/.366/.482 with 14 home runs, forty RBIs, and 34 stolen bases. He opened the 2022 season back with Montgomery. In 79 games for Montgomery, Jones hit .238/.318/.392 with 8 home runs, 40 RBI, and 37 stolen bases. On November 15, 2022, the Rays added Jones to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

The Rays optioned Jones to the Triple-A Durham Bulls to begin the 2023 season. On 71 games split between Triple–A Durham and Double–A Montgomery, he hit a cumulative .244/.318/.432 with 10 home runs, 35 RBI, and 24 stolen bases. On September 16, 2023, Jones was placed on the 60–day injured list with a hamstring injury, ending his season. Jones was optioned to Triple–A Durham to begin the 2024 season.

Colorado Rockies
On March 21, 2024, Jones was traded to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Joe Rock. He was optioned to the Triple–A Albuquerque Isotopes upon being acquired. On June 6, Jones was promoted to the major leagues for the first time.

Honors and awards

 * 2018 All-Rookie Team, Colonial Athletic Association
 * 2018 All-Tournament, Colonial Athletic Association
 * 2019 First-team All-State
 * 2019 Bryan Britt Award, University of North Carolina Wilmington
 * 2019 All-Tournament, Colonial Athletic Association
 * 2019 Tournament Most Outstanding Player, Colonial Athletic Association
 * 2019 All-America (Third team), National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
 * 2019 All-America (Third team), American Baseball Coaches Association
 * 2019 Player of the Year, Colonial Athletic Association
 * 2019 First-team All-Colonial Athletic Association
 * 2019 First-Team All-East, American Baseball Coaches Association