Minor league teammates of Pirates' Jared Jones rooting hard for his success

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie pitcher Jared Jones took Major League Baseball by storm last week in his big league debut, earning the win and striking out 10 Miami Marlins, a total few have matched in their first start, on March 30.

Jones had plenty of friends and family in attendance at loanDepot Park supporting him and afterwards, he earned no shortage of praise from teammates and coaches.

But the excitement over Jones’ debut extended well beyond his family and the Pirates clubhouse.

Several former teammates of Jones’ in the minor leagues, with the 22-year-old having split time between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis last year, have thoroughly enjoyed seeing him hit the ground running with the Pirates.

“There’s a few of us here that are super close with Jared,” said Curve pitcher and Bethel Park grad Justin Meis. “I actually lived with him last year in Altoona, so, pretty good friends with him. … It was awesome to watch him throw. He’s a freak athlete, talented, we’re all rooting for him, and I think Pittsburgh fans can get pretty used to that kind of outing from him.

“He’s a great dude. I talk to him once or twice a week – good dude.”

Jones’ personality and work ethic left an impression on those who were present during his developmental journey.

A second-round (No. 44 overall) draft pick by the Pirates in 2020, Jones wound up making the club’s Opening Day roster after spending only three seasons in the minor leagues.

A red-hot spring training contributed mightily to that result, as Jones, the Pirates’ No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline, did not allow a single run in six Grapefruit League appearances that totaled 16 ⅓ innings of work.

“I’m not in Jared’s (draft) class — he was a year before me — but I almost shed a tear when I saw him go out there because I know how hard he worked this offseason to get in that moment,” said fellow pitcher Bubba Chandler, the Pirates’ No. 5 prospect, who begins the 2024 campaign in Altoona.

Friday at 4:12 p.m., Jones (1-0, 4.76 ERA) will make his second start of the year, this time in the Pirates’ home opener, with the Baltimore Orioles visiting PNC Park.

For those still plotting their own course to MLB, such as Chandler, Meis and pitcher Braxton Ashcraft, what Jones has done offers a blueprint.

Ashcraft, the Pirates’ seventh-ranked prospect who also starts the year in Altoona, found motivation in Jones’ meteoric rise to the Pirates’ starting rotation.

Ashcraft, Chandler and Meis all appeared for the Pirates during spring training, making the most of the experience and their outings.

The three were ultimately reassigned to the minor leagues before spring training wrapped, but the manner in which Jones forced his way onto the big league roster made a mark.

“Jared going out there and having 10 punchouts in his first outing, that’s unbelievable,” Ashcraft said. “It’s invigorating, for sure. … I think it’s pretty well-known that all of us are really excited for him and excited for the situation he’s in. It kind of goes unsaid.

“Obviously, you want to be in the big leagues and that feeling is overwhelming, but it’s exciting to see guys you played with, guys you come up with – all those guys being in that position and succeeding is very exciting. It lights a fire under your butt because you want that to be you.”