Name: Duanel Jones
Report Date: 2011 NWL Season (Rookie Level)
Age: 18
Birthplace: Samana, DO
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 205
Bats: R
Throws: R

Overview: Duanel Jones is a big-bodied athlete who starts off like every good steak, extremely raw. There is a huge gap in the player Jones is now and the player he may one day become. Currently he is playing third base but it is highly likely that a move to first base or an outfield corner is in his future.

Physical Attributes: Jones is one big athlete. He has very long arms, a wider-than-average build and big legs. He is by no means fat. If Jones wants to stay at a position with a defensive component he needs to keep from gaining any amount of weight. If he moves to first base he could easily put on 15-20 lbs and not be any worse for it. He has a great arm and great bat speed. His arm is so good that it has allowed him to stay at third despite limited range. His swing is very raw but his bat speed has given the Padres something to dream on.

Hitting: Jones hits from an open, upright stance with some bend in his knees and low hands. He uses a double tap approach. Meaning he brings his foot towards his body on the load, taps, and then strides. He slots his hands well on his load. Because there is so much movement in this style of loading, Jones often has an inconsistent pace with his swing. Sometimes he looks slow and relaxed and other times he has to rush to get everything lined up for his swing. Jones also turns his front shoulder in during his load more than you would like to see. It creates a situation where his shoulders aren’t directly lined up with the pitcher and instead are lined up somewhere between the pitcher and first base. The problem with this movement is it has a tendency to make hitters really uncoil on their swing leading to their front shoulder flying open which is exactly what Jones does.

When the swing gets going the bat speed is undeniable. There is a lot of effort in generating this bat speed so it tends not be pretty when Jones swings and misses. He often ends up off balance following his vicious swing. He has a good plane through the zone with some lift but doesn’t extend as well as his body would allow him too. His lower half fires very aggressively but does so in a very rotational fashion. Combine this with his less than ideal extension and you can imagine why Jones has trouble with pitches on the outer third of the plate.

At this point Jones is basically a pull side hitter. On pitches away, particularly off-speed offerings, Jones will simply beat the ball into the ground to the left side. Once he finds some balance in his swing, irons out his load and generates some extension Jones will begin to hit for a better average. He will never be a player who grades out very highly on his hit tool but there is still plenty of room for improvement from his current state. Current – 30 | Future – 45 (more…)