1994 Rookie of the Year Countdown - Bobby Jones

This is the fourth edition of our Tuesday look at the countdown to the Rookies of the Year in 1994.  Today we examine former Mets and Padres right hander Bobby Jones.

Robert Joseph Jones was drafted in the first round (36^th overall) in the 1991 draft out of Cal State Fresno.  The Bulldogs have produced an astounding 48 major league players, including Kevin Appier, Terry Pendleton, Jeff Weaver, Doug Fister and Matt Garza.  This was after attending Fresno High School, which happened to have produced Hall of Famers Frank Chance and Tom Seaver.  After his signing, he was assigned to single A Columbia where he quickly turned heads by going 3-1 with a 1.85 ERA and 35 strikeouts vs. just three walks.

In 1992, he was promoted to AA Binghamton, where he would go 12-4 with a 1.88 ERA and 143 strikeouts vs. 43 walks.  He threw four complete games, all shutouts.  Promoted again in 1993, he went 12-10 with a 3.63 ERA at AAA Norfolk.  He had 126 strikeouts vs. 32 walks.  He also hit 11 batters and had 11 wild pitches that year.  Despite than those minor hiccups, the Mets decided it was time to bring him up.

Jones made is major league debut on August 13^th, 1993 in a 9-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.  At this point in the season, the Mets were 39-76, 34 ½ games back of those same Phillies.  Throwing Jones right into the fire, he would start that day, and over six innings, he would give up seven hits, one walk and five runs (only one earned) while striking out three.  Backed by second baseman Tim Bogar’s monster day at the plate – two home runs and two doubles with four RBIs – Jones would get the win.  Although I’m not going to examine every game of the season, I declare this was the high point for the Mets that year.

Things would not be as smooth for Jones the rest of the season, as he went 2-4 with a 3.65 ERA in nine starts.  The Mets were not very good at much that season, including defense.  Jones gave up 35 runs, with only 25 of them earned.  His last start of the season was his best, throwing 10 shutout innings vs. the Cardinals as the Mets won 1-0 in 17 innings when Jeff Kent doubled in Eddie Murray.

In 1994, the Mets were not quite as bad, but their numbers were certainly not good.  They only had one player bat over .300 – Rico Brogna, in 138 plate appearances, hit .351.  Jones and recent blog topic Bret Saberhagen were the only two pitchers to win more than 10 games, and they and Pete Smith were the only pitchers that would start more than 10 games.

Jones would start the third game of the season for the Mets in Chicago vs. the Cubs.  I think we all remember what happened a couple of days earlier (Tuffy Rhodes) but after that series, the Mets were 3-0 due to Jones’ seven innings pitched where he allowed just one run and two walks with three strikeouts.  In his next start, also against the Cubs five days later, he wouldn’t fare as well as he allowed six runs in just 2 1/3 innings.  He would finish the month with a 3-1 record and 19 strikeouts vs. 16 walks (including seven on April 27^th).

His first start of May would see Jones only go 2 2/3 innings pitched where he would allow nine runs, none of which were earned.  From what I can tell, this is a major league record.  Other teams have scored that many unearned runs, but they were never allowed by one pitcher.  The third inning was the culprit that day.  Jeff Reed grounded out to short.  Giants starter Mark Portugal singled to center field.  Darren Lewis bunted out to Jones.  Then, Jose Vizcaino booted John Patterson’s grounder to short.  Matt Williams would homer in the next at bat, Barry Bonds would single, steal a base, score, etc.  The inning even featured another error that prolonged it even further.  The Giants would win 10-3.  The rest of May was better for Jones, as he ended the month 3-3 with a 3.10 ERA and 20 strikeouts vs. 13 walks.

June was another month of ups and downs for Jones.  In his first two starts, he had a loss and a no decision, giving up 8 earned runs in 14 1/3 innings.  In his third start, he threw eight shutout innings, allowing four hits and no walks in a 1-0 victory over the Phillies.  Then, in his last two starts of the month, the Mets defense was once again unkind, as he lost both starts, allowing 12 runs – only seven earned – in 9 2/3 innings.  He would finish the month 1-3 with a 4.22 ERA and 14 strikeouts vs. eight walks.

July would see Jones get back on track.  He had two no decisions where he gave up nine runs in 14 innings, but in his four wins that month, he gave up six runs in 26 2/3 innings.  For the month, he was 4-0 with a 2.88 ERA and 20 strikeouts vs. 14 walks.  He also only allowed one home run in 40 2/3 innings that month.

He would get a couple of more starts in August as the season wrapped up, going 1-0 with a 1.76 ERA and seven strikeouts vs. five walks.  In what would foreshadow a classic Bobby Jones start, his last start of the season saw him get the win, as he danced around 10 hits and a walk across 7 1/3 innings.

Jones finished the year with a record of 12-7, an ERA of 3.15, one complete game and shutout, 80 strikeouts and 56 walks in 160 innings pitched.  That was good for a 2.4 WAR, which isn’t too bad for a rookie starting pitcher.  His ERA ranked eighth in the NL that year, but it was still over twice as high as leader Greg Maddux’s 1.56.  That season, he only gave up 10 home runs.  Other than his cup of coffee in 1993, that was the only season where he gave up fewer than 20 home runs, other than his injury-shortened 1999 season where he only pitched in 12 games.

Jones would pitch in New York through the 2000 season.  He was an All Star in 1997 when he went 15-9.  Other than his eighth place Rookie of the Year finish in 1994, that was the only time he was ever voted for any sort of award.  The only thing Jones would ever lead the league in was in 2001, the first year of his two year stint in San Diego.  He would lead the league with 19 losses, and also tied for the league in home runs allowed, somehow serving up 37.  It takes a special talent to give up that many homers in San Diego.  A special kind of talent like Jones, and his Padres’ teammate Kevin Jarvis, who also gave up 37.  The was also one other guy that gave up 37 home runs that year – a guy named Curt Schilling.  Things worked out ok for him, though.  Well, sort of.

THAT SHIRT.

For his career, Jones would finish 89-83 with a 4.36 ERA and 887 strikeouts vs. 412 walks across 1518 2/3 innings pitched.  He wasn’t part of the Mets mid-90’s future known as Generation K – Bill Pulsipher, Jason Isringhausen, and Paul Wilson – but combined with these three, the Mets future looked bright.  It was, culminating with their appearance in the 2000 World Series.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t with any contribution from Generation K.  Jones would go 11-6 for the Mets that year.  Pulsipher would start two games, losing both of them and giving up nine runs in 6 2/3 innings.

No relation.

Also, just for laughs, the Mets also had another pitcher named Bobby Jones that year.  On July 3^rd, Bobby Jones started.  Bobby Jones also started on July 4^th.  Well played, Mets.  I can appreciate the humor in that.