BISCUITS SERIES OPENER: Jones showing off speed in 2022

Biscuits shortstop Greg Jones has 70 stolen bases in his minor league career and 17 so far for Montgomery. (Tim Gayle)

By TIM GAYLE

Greg Jones’ opposite-field hit turned into an inside-the-park home run on Memorial Day, but as the Biscuits’ speedster was sliding into home plate, he broke his nose in a collision with Mississippi catcher Hendrik Clementina.

It’s been that kind of year for the Montgomery Biscuits’ starting shortstop, who has provided some of the most entertaining moments of the 2022 season while continuing to struggle in his adjustment to Double-A baseball.

Jones and the Biscuits open a six-game set against Chattanooga on Tuesday. It will be the first home game for Montgomery since May 18 when the majority of the series against Biioxi was canceled due to COVID-19.

The 2019 first-round draft pick is easily one of the most electrifying players in all of baseball, but his progression toward Major League Baseball remains a work in progress.

“I think Greg continues to improve in his pitch recognition and that takes time,” Biscuits manager Morgan Ensberg said. “And Double-A is the most difficult time in a guy’s career because pitch quality is so much sharper and more consistent in the zone. So the real growing pains happen here. And it’s what every player goes through.

“Greg Jones is going to figure it out and he’s going to be a very exciting player in the big leagues.”

Jones has been a one-sport star all his life, a baseball player who has played almost exclusively at shortstop over the last decade despite analysts who see his speed as an asset in center field. When he graduated from high school, he was drafted in the 17th round by the Orioles but chose to play collegiately at the only school that offered him a scholarship, UNC-Wilmington.

“I just felt like I wasn’t ready to play professional baseball at the time,” Jones said, “so I made a decision to go to college and try to make myself a little better before I tried to play a big man’s game.”

The move paid off as the Rays drafted him two years later as a draft-eligible sophomore in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2019 draft. His speed on the base paths made him an immediate asset. 

“What’s kind of neat about Greg is that he’s an ‘80’ (rated) runner, which is the top speed possible in the game of baseball,” Ensberg said. “And I would argue that he’s one of the top five fastest guys in the game.

“We are not stopping him. When you watch him run, it’s so efficient and economical.”

He was promoted to Double-A late last season and has stolen 24 bases in 26 attempts, getting thrown out earlier this season on his only attempt to steal home. 

“I just try to pick a good time to run,” Jones said. “The first-base coach helps. It depends on how fast the pitcher is (on his delivery to the batter) and what situation we’re in. I make my decision off of that.”

The era of Major League Baseball that included great base runners such as Ricky Henderson, Vince Coleman and Lou Brock may be making a return as Jones continues his progression through minor league baseball.  

“I would say there is some similarities between Greg and Vince Coleman in the stride length,” Ensberg observed. “Vince was very fast but also had a long stride length. I think they’re similar.”

One area where Jones is definitely trending is his eyewear, where he isn’t willing to settle for ordinary shades. 

“I’ve worn glasses my entire life,” he said. “I tried wearing contacts when I was in high school. I hated them. So it was glasses from then on. Then I started wearing Oakleys because I didn’t want to wear those sports goggle things, so I tried to make it a little cooler. People started to like them.”

“He definitely has a sense of style,” Ensberg said.

Jones has improved his power at the plate and is a switch hitter who can hit to all fields, but needs to lower his strikeout ratio. Last season with the Biscuits, he played in the final 16 games of the season and hit just .185 with four walks and 21 strikeouts. Through May of 2022 and leading up to his injury, he was batting .213 with 12 walks and 49 strikeouts in 122 at-bats.   

“I’ve still got some adjustments to make,” Jones said. “But it’s part of the game. I just have to be more ready when I step into the box, be more aggressive on balls in the zone. We’re trying to work through it.”

Ensberg is patient. He’s certain everyone will appreciate the finished product.

“It’s more like baking a biscuit as opposed to microwaving something,” Ensberg said. “Us turning up the heat doesn’t make it bake faster, it burns it. There’s no way to speed this up artificially.

“Greg is working on all aspects, including base running. He is a great base runner, an excellent base runner, but there are still things to learn. He’s improving with defense, he’s improving with the bat and what’s exciting about Greg is he is truly a five-tool player and you don’t see many of those in the game of baseball.”