Pirates pitcher Jared Jones continues to make history

If there is one thing for fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates to feel good about it is the performance that Jared Jones has put on in his debut season. Jones, who became a top 100 prospect at the end of last season, is looking like he should have been considered a top 10 prospect instead.

Jones was a second round pick out of high school in the 2020 Draft. He was the Pirates third pick for that year after selecting infielder Nick Gonzales at pick #7 and reliever Carmen Mlodzinski with their Competitive Balance A selection. Both Gonzales and Mlodzinski were taken from the College ranks. Yet, Jones, a prep player, has already established a name for himself at the Big League level.

This is partially because of the stuff that he possesses. Jones can run his fastball up to 100 miles per hour and has a wipe-out slider. When I say wipe out, I am not exaggerating. Here is what he did during his most recent start with Brewers infielder Brice Turang at the plate:

Other than making a hitter look completely foolish, Jones made history in this start as well. Everyone has seen his ability to strike hitters out, but he is doing it at a historic rate. According to MLB.com, Jones is 1 of only 4 pitchers to start his career with this many strikeouts:

Did the Pittsburgh Pirates finally get one?

One as in a prime prospect who is going to perform at that level? It looks like this could be the case. Jones has posted 39 strikeouts in his 29 total innings of work. It is crazy to think that he is doing this at just 22 years of age, these numbers should continue to be impressive as he continues to gain experience. Overall, he owns a 2.79 ERA on the season. The thought of having him and Paul Skenes in the same rotation is a really good reason for optimism.