NAME: Brock Jones
SCHOOL: Stanford
POSITION: OF
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6’0″, 197 lbs
B/T: L/L
D.O.B.: March 28, 2001
PREVIOUSLY DRAFTED: Undrafted
SCOUTING REPORT
Coming out of Buchanan High School in Clovis, California, Brock Jones was a multi-sport athlete and received All-Valley honors in both baseball (2017-19) and football (2016-18). Jones was also a member of the Cardinal football team as a freshman (listed as a safety), seeing action mostly on special teams. Coming out of high school, the Californian was ranked as the 477th prospect by Baseball America ahead of the 2019 MLB Draft.
In the time that Brock Jones has been on the diamond for Stanford, he’s been an incredibly impactful member of the Cardinal lineup. Excluding his pandemic shortened freshman year, in 56 games as a sophomore in 2021, Jones slashed .311/.453/.646 for a 1.099 OPS, slugging 13 doubles, one triple, 18 home runs, 62 RBI, and 49 walks to 59 strikeouts. In 65 games during his junior season, the lefty outfielder saw those numbers improve, slashing .324/.451/.664 for a 1.115 OPS across 65 games, slugging 13 doubles, five triples, 21 home runs, 57 RBI, and 55 walks to 78 strikeouts.
During his college career, Brock Jones has been highly recognized and received several accolades, all of which can be found here. Highlighting some notable awards; Jones made Baseball America’s College All American Third Team this season, Baseball America’s College All American Second Team in 2021, was named All-Conference in the PAC-12 in both 2021 and 2022 as well as the PAC-12 All-Defensive team in 2022.
After the 2021 summer ball showcase circuit concluded, Jones checked in as the 30th prospect in Baseball America’s college prospect list ahead of the 2022 draft. As the 2022 college season was coming to a close, the Californian was slotted as the 50th prospect by ESPN, 44th by Prospects Live, 29th by Baseball America, 13th by The Athletic, and 31st by MLB Pipeline.
Listed at 6’0″, 197 lbs, Jones has a strong, muscular frame that makes his football background is apparent in his athleticism. Additionally, he’s noted as a plus runner with solid instincts running the bases.
Peyton Graham will be a very interesting guy to track in the draft. Checks a lot of boxes. Projection, athleticism, defense, raw power… but is streaky/can struggle with swing-and-miss and breaking balls. Same narrative as Stanford OF Brock Jones.
— Joe Doyle (@JoeDoyleMiLB) June 26, 2022
At the plate, Jones is more power over hit tool but tends to deploy an all fields approach. He’s patient at the plate with a good understanding of the strike zone, but a stiff swing has led to some strikeout concerns. Jones has been susceptible to the breaking ball and has tended to start slowly before making adjustments and rebound.
Defensively, Jones is considered to be an average to above average outfielder. While his arm is considered below to fringe average at best, it’s believed that he’ll be able to man centerfield at the next level with the assistance of his plus speed and solid ball tracking he does in the outfield.
WHY WOULD THE WHITE SOX DRAFT BROCK JONES?
Jones and the White Sox do make sense in multiple aspects. Once again stating the obvious, Jones as a left handed batter would add some necessary balance to the system and future White Sox’s lineup.
Secondly, Jones’ ability to play an average/above average defensive centerfield would provide the White Sox with more defensive flexibility. Having a sure handed outfielder in the system at their disposal would help alleviate pressure on other players covering positions that they aren’t accustomed to/skillset doesn’t allow them to handle.
At 21-years-old, Jones theoretically would be a faster mover through the system. With the White Sox being “in their contention window”, having a player that could help out at the major league level sooner rather than later could be appealing to them. He’s always a Stanford guy and you can’t discard Ken Williams’ influence in the organization. The Joc Pederson comparisons make it an interesting connection as well.
MOCK DRAFTS
As of this moment, the mocks are dictating that the back of the first round seems like the earliest Jones is expected to be selected.
In the most recent MLB Pipeline mock, Jim Callis has Jones going to the Pirates with the 36th pick in the Supplemental round. Baseball America pegged the lefty swinging outfielder to the Yankees with the 25th selection. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN doesn’t have the former safety being selected in the first 41 picks.
Prospects Live has Jones lasting until the second round and being selected by the Padres at pick number 53. Keith Law of The Athletic tied Jones to the Red Sox at pick 24.
Playing off these mocks, Jones’ selection ceiling seems to be in the range of when the White Sox make their first choice. The Stanford product does have an interesting skillset and some of the best athleticism/upside in the class, but the swing concerns are evident. If the White Sox were confident that they could help iron out Jones’ swing issues, speedy, plus power and sound defensive centerfielders are always a welcomed addition to any farm system.
Photo credit: John Lozano/isiphotos.com