One of the biggest surprises for the Pittsburgh Pirates during Spring Training this year was the performance of pitcher, Jared Jones. Talent isn’t a question for Jones, who was a second-round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft out of La Mirada High School in California. But, he made the jump to the Major Leagues quicker than anyone would have predicted with a dominant spring.
Jones pitched 16.1 innings for the Pirates in Spring Training. He allowed only a single run, which was unearned, with 15 strikeouts. Jones allowed only nine hits, as the only issue he faced was the eight walks that he issued.
His advanced stats throughout the spring were elite and the Pirates had no choice but to keep him on the Opening Day roster as he had performed too well. He would make his Major League debut over the weekend against the Miami Marlins and pick up right where he left off in Bradenton.
Jones picked up his first career win in a historic performance against the Marlins. He threw 5.2 innings with 10 strikeouts, giving up three hits, two walks and three earned runs. His talent and stuff were on full display, as he was routinely blowing pitches by hitters.
The strikeout numbers really popped off the stat sheet. As shared by the Pirates official account on X, Jones became only the 31st pitcher since 1900 to record 10+ strikeouts in his Major League debut.
It was one of the most dominant debuts in MLB history. One of the pitches that Jones threw Jones racked up 22 swings and misses by the Marlins, which is by far the most since 2008 when the pitch-tracking era began. He surpassed the previous record held by Johnny Cueto with 21 back on April 3rd, 2008.
This doesn’t look to be an aberration, either. Jones’ arm talent is legit, as he was one of the highest-ranked pitchers in the MLB during Spring Training when it came to the advanced stat Stuff+. He was fourth during Spring Training and in his debut against the Marlins, he sat at 131.1, well above the MLB average of 100.
The Pirates look like they could have a pitching star on their hands. With so many talented, young position players already on the Major League roster and more waiting in the wings in the minors, pitching is what Pittsburgh lacked.
With Jones already in the show and Paul Skenes not far behind, the Pirates pitching rotation isn’t far behind its lineup in terms of high-upside young talent. Don’t forget about Quinn Preister and Bubba Chandler as well, as the future looks bright in the Steel City.
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