Greg Jones #2

Greg began playing organized baseball as a six-year-old, donning a No. 22 Devil Rays jersey for his team out of west Raleigh…years later, he was selected by the Rays as the No. 22 overall pick in the 2019 First-Year Player Draft…he did not have a favorite team growing up but attended his first Major League game in 2004 when his family visited relatives in Florida and his father, Greg Jones Sr., took him to a Devil Rays game against the Yankees at a sold out Tropicana Field...He worked on his left-side swing with former Cary High School coach Clay Council, who threw to Josh Hamilton in the 2008 Home Run Derby...Was the highest draft selection ever out of UNC Wilmington, where he hit .341/.491/.543 (76-for-223) with five HR, 36 RBI and 42 SB in 63 games (62GS) as a sophomore…ranked fifth among Division I players and led the Colonial Athletic Association in steals…led the conference in on-base pct., triples, runs (70) and walks (55) and ranked second in avg. and hits…his nine 3B and 42 SB both tied single-season program records...Ranked by Baseball America as having the Best Speed among college players in the 2019 First-Year Player Draft...Previously selected by the Orioles in the 17th round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of Cary (N.C.) High School.

2023

Opened the season with Double-A Montgomery before earning a May 11 promotion to Triple-A Durham…recalled and placed on the 60-day IL on Sept. 16 with a right hamstring strain to open a 40-man roster spot for Tristan Gray...Between the two levels, split time at center field (35GS), shortstop (25GS) and right field (6GS)...Hit .173 (47-for-169) with 3 HR, 9 RBI and 12 SB over 20 games with Montgomery compared to .278 (47-for-169) with 24 XBH (10HR), 35 RBI and 12 SB across 51 games with Durham...On April 16 vs. Tennessee (G2), went 2-for-4 with a triple, a homer and a season-high four RBI…was the only Montgomery hitter to record a triple and home run in the same game in 2023...Played his final game of the season on July 22 at Rochester…from the time of his May 11 promotion to Durham through his final contest, he led the Bulls in steals (12) while his .278 average ranked second (min. 150AB) behind Jonathan Aranda (.392).

2022

Spent the entire season with Double-A Montgomery…limited to 79 games, missing time from June 2-13 (concussion) and Sept. 3 through the end of the season (right hamstring strain)...Ranked third among Rays minor leaguers with 37 SB behind Mason Auer (48) and Shane Sasaki (47)…was fifth in the Southern League in steals...Ranked by Baseball America as the No. 19 prospect in the Rays system following the season… the publication also tabbed him as the Fastest Baserunner in the organization and in the Southern League in its Best Tools survey.

2021

In 2021, hit .270/.366/.482 (74-for-274) with 14 HR and 40 RBI in 72 games between Class-A Bowling Green and Montgomery...Named Minor League Baserunner of the Year by the Rays Baseball Operations department…was successful on 94.4 pct. (34 of 36) of stolen base attempts between the two levels...Ranked 2nd among Rays minor leaguers and tied for 3rd in High-A East in stolen bases...Named to the Rays Organizational All-Star Team by MLB.com...Did not play in the Arizona Fall League due to a quad injury...Ranked by Baseball America as the No. 6 prospect in the Rays system following the season… the publication also tabbed him as the Best Baserunner and Fastest Baserunner in High-A East in its Best Tools survey.

2020

Added to the Rays 60-man player pool on Sept. 1 and spent time at the alternate training site in Port Charlotte…missed most of the Instructional League with a minor knee injury…ranked by Baseball America as the No. 14 prospect in the Rays system following the season…the publication also tabbed him as the Best Athlete in the organization for a second consecutive year. 

2019

Named Most Valuable Player for Short-A Hudson Valley by the Rays Baseball Operations department…ranked among New York-Penn League leaders in avg. (.335, 3rd), runs (39, tied for 5th), hits (64, 9th), on-base pct. (.413, 2nd), slugging pct. (.461, 7th) and stolen bases (19, tied for 6th)… earned NYPL midseason All-Star honors and was named the system’s Player of the Month for July… his .335 avg. ranked 1st among Rays minor leaguers (min. 150 AB)…ranked by Baseball America as the No. 12 prospect in the Rays system and No. 3 prospect in the NYPL following the season.