Jones

[riverrat56]

What is with jones, every at bat he gets behind in the count 0-1 0-2, gardie should tell him to look at a pitch for once, and he doesnt seem to miss those first at second pitches by a little, he misses them by 2 ft it seems. i dont know about you guys but ive never seen someone get behind that often.

[Swamprat72]

I agree he swings at too many pitches in the dirt. He's good for at least one strikeout per game and seems to be a liability to the team. He should have been offered on the trading block with Doug for pitching help.

[buzzsaw]

I made a comment about Jacque in another baseball thread a whileback, he drives me crazy!! I say to my wife two things.. 1. Jacque is up, watch him swing like a fool and miss and 2. The twins just took a 5 run lead, watch Lohse blow it right away!
With that being said... Hunter, Stewart, Koskie, Morneau have been swatting the ball around great!
P.S. Jones actually took two walks last night... the second one on a 3 ball 2 strike count that almost hit him.. Blyleven sounded amazed he just took his second walk!

[The Grebe]

Jones can hit the long ball once in awhile, but most of the time he comes close to hyperextending his back, by reaching for pitches 2 feet out of the strike zone!

Once in awhile, he misses by a foot at pitches right over the plate and just about screws himself into the dirt!

Either that, or he takes a divot, bigger then John Dalys, swinging at a dirt ball!

I do believe that this is J.J.'s last season as a Twin.

[riverrat56]

those 2 walks last night make about 4 on the season now,

yes i do think this may be jones last season and if it isnt it should have been, as far as im concerned they should have traded jones dougie and koskie and got a 3rd pitcher then moved silva to 4 and take out loshe. just my thoughts, although koskie is hitting better now.

[Willy]

Yes Jones is a very undisciplined hitter, but he is also leading the team in rbi's this year. I hate watching him bat because he looks like a high school kid up there sometimes, but over the last few years, he has got the job done.

And yes I also believe this will be his last season for the twins. It's just a shame that we never will get anything in return for him leaving.

[Stratosman]

It's like a dominoe effect, he can't stop swinging at those pitches and pitchers won't stop throwing them at him. It's only when a pitcher makes a mistake that he gets a hit. How many times have you seem him go with the pitch and just find some grass somewhere? Never! He needs to watch and learn from Stewart.

[TheGuy]

I think in the Poineer Press today they were saying that there is a young kid age 22 in AAA that hits for average and for power. Can they still trade Jones? Is he in the last year of his contract? If so why not resign Jones and see if this kid can play in the pros and then trade Jones next year for what they need...picher or whatever at the time?

[First Ice-Mike]

I don't get why everyone is so down on Jock-strap Jones. Lets not forget he is around a .300 careeer hitter and does hit for power. He had a long slump this year that killed his average, but that happens to everybody at some point in their career (may I say Derek Jeter?) Jones is a legit .300 Ave./25-30 HR/80-100 RBI guy, plus he plays great defense and is a great clubhouse guy. What more do you people want!!!! I think you get rid of Jones you can kiss Hunter good bye at the end of his contract. The Twins have a great outfield and are winning games. Why fix what isn't broken??

FI

[Eric Wettschreck]

Jones/Hunter is one of the better outfield tandems out there.

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Jones just get off of an 11 game hitting streak??

.300(ish) career hitter, good speed, good leather, most importantly fits in great in the clubhouse.

I'm biased, I'm a Jones fan.

[SledNeck_X]

yeah, leave Jones alone, hes a great fielder and has a great arm. He's a good hitter just having an off year in average. 20hr and 64rbis at this point for a TWINS player is very respectable. He hits very well in the clutch with runners in scoring position.

[buzzsaw]

I turned on the game a little late last night and Jonesie was batting.... the count was 0 - 2.. I laughed and thought of this thread!

[Jarrod32]

Jones' contract is up at the end of the year, and he is not likely to be back next year. Stewart and Hunter will be in LF and CF, and right field will be up for grabs. Restovich, Ford, and Jason Kubel (the 22-year old mentioned earlier in this thread) will compete for the job. Kubel will probably have it by mid-year next year, if not earlier.

[Willy]

I am pretty sure that Ford will have that position next year. He is our best hitter.

However Kubel will fit in there somewhere. They will probably break him in slowly and eventually when Stewarts contract comes up, either trade or release him and let Kubel have that spot. That is if everything pans out and Kubel is the stud that everyone thinks that he is going to be. Or they could keep rotating 4 outfielders like they are now. I love Stewart and would hate to see him go.

Next year I don't think Jones will be in the mix. Although I would like him to be!

[First Ice-Mike]

I think that if the Twins didn't intend to try and sign Jones after the year is up they would have moved him before the trade deadline.

FI

[Swamprat72]

Restovich won't be in the mix next year either. Gardy doesn't seem to like him since they move him up and send him back down just as quick. Besides I think his contract is up this year too, and he was complaining during spring training about how he was better than the others called up last year and not getting the chance to start himself. Ford is a better choice than Jones or Restovich.

[This message has been edited by Swamprat72 (edited 08-26-2004).]

[riverrat56]

i wasnt trying to say jones is a bad hitter or a bad baseball player, he is a great feilder but it just seems he is always down in the count and misses the first pitch by a mile because he is swinging for the fence, hunter in the same way.

[Piker]

Jacque Jones is a .290 type career hitter and coming off two .300 seasons. He's not only an above average defender, he'd be a defensive star if he wasn't over-shadowed by Hunter. Lew Ford doesn't have as much to offer as Jones, he's a good player but he's clearly coming back to earth. If anyone pushes Jones out it'll be Jason Kubel.

[riverrat56]

tonight 2 outs guy on first, twins down 2 one. jones is up i think to myself that he will strike out....wrong he gets beaned. but o look who is next..T.Hunter gets down 0-2 and strikes out on a curve that isnt even close. Now whether or not the come back to win we will see. My point is that Hunter and Jones are both not clutch ( ya i know hunter had a 3 run shot to win it ) but also in key situations they both seem to choke. You may not agree with me just my opinion.

[The Grebe]

Neither one of them, nor any of them, can do it everytime they are called upon to do so! If they could, they would be playing for the Yankees, not the Twins!

[juggs]

I agree with you Riverrat. The smart pitchers know how to get Jones and Hunter out. Keep the ball out of the strike zone if a hitter is over zealous. They seldom ever walk. In spite of the numbers they put up, these two could do so much better at the plate if they would be more choosy. Ford is a better example of that and look at his average--20 or 30 points higher. Better yet are Stewart and Mauer. Funny how the veterans could learn a lot from watching a twenty-one year old rookie.

[B. Amish]

Not everyone can be a patient hitter! Some guys do better by being a free swinger, if you tell them to be patient, it takes away from their game.

True some of the best hitters are very patient (bonds) but others are better by being free swingers (Vlad, Ichiro, Puckett, Jones, Hunter)

[bigbucks]

Okay I agree with you B. Amish, but I wouldn't put Jones & Hunter in company with those other guys, at least not currently & I'm huge fans of both guys.

Puckett & Ichiro were/are always well over .300. Vlad often is & has hit 34-44 homers five times & will again this year.

[riverrat56]

Im not trying to knock jones or hunter they are both great players there defense is the best there is. They just both are free swingers that IMO dont see enough pitches. This year when i was in a slump for VFW ball i started watching more pitches in 2 weeks my average went up 45 points and my on base% was over .500 by the end of the year. Being a disciplend hitter can help improve all your stats at the plate. I think both jones and hunter could hit 30 dingers and hit .300 if they would be more patient. again im not knocking them they are great players ( you have to be to make it in the bigs). I understand that about how some guys are free swingers but it can also help to be more patient at the plate when you arent hitting well or when the pitchers have figured you out.

Riverrat56

[buzzsaw]

Okay akay!!!! I will knock Jones.... he is always 0-2.... I get the free swinger bit but he's NOT Ichiro or Puckett. You see guys like Stewart take pitches, it helps the guys on deck and in the dugout gage movement and velocity, it also gets the other teams pitchers pitch count up. Jones gets up there and the other team knows he will swing at anything unless it's so far inside that it just about hits him! Another problem is his stance is so far off of home plate that his swing doesn't always cover the whole strike zone.... not good at all! He needs to get closer to the plate, take atleast one pitch if it's a ball take two pitches... It would help this team so much if he could bat more disciplined!! I like his defensive skills and the fact that the guys in the dugout like him (chemistry) but I totally would disagree with anybody who says he's a free swinger and that is a good thing for the team. Visualize this: You know the look Jacque has after he swings at a pitch 3 inches off the ground and 1 foot inside of homeplate???? He has that stupid smile like "I did it again and gardy is gonna lecture me" and darn the teams hottest hitters follow me in the lineup and I could have atleast tried to work a walk so they could drive me in..... NOPE, he's rather swing for the fences... I call it Chicago White Sox mentality... he is ill with it!
Sorry to rant guys, I just had to vent... Lohse could be another frustrating subject... that boy needs to learn how to throw a changeup!!! OK someone else's turn.

[This message has been edited by buzzsaw (edited 09-03-2004).]