Prospect Profile: Keltavious Jones

[camisadelgolf]

Name: Keltavious Jones
Date of Birth: September 21, 1985
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 170 lbs.
Bats: left
Throws: left
Position: center field
Team: Billings Mustangs
Draft: 27th round (#804 overall) by Cincinnati Reds in 2006 amateur draft
School: Darton College

More often than not, a 27th round draft pick doesn't advance to AAA, let alone to the Major Leagues. In fact, since 1990, less than five percent of 27th round draft picks have even gotten one Major League appearance, let alone an extensive stay. Since the '90s, the only three players signed out of the 27th round have had any kind of sustained success (Brendan Donnelly, Kiko Calero, and Ramon Vazquez).

Needless to say, when "Vicious" Keltavious Jones was drafted, the bar wasn't set too high. However, he's managed to make the most of his short time in professional baseball by showing his ability to get on base. Thanks in part to his speed, Keltavious Jones is playing exciting baseball, and if he continues to make the most of his tools as he advances through the system, he might be one of the few 27th rounders to do anything in the Major Leagues. Heck, if he continues with this kind of production, he might be the only 27th round All-Star in recent memory.

Career Stats:

Team  G  AB  R  H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO  AVG  OBP  SLG
GCL  28  78 20 20  4  1  0   2  6  1 12 15 .256 .372 .333
BIL  37 153 31 49 10  2  3  25  7  4 13 21 .320 .384 .471
---------------------------------------------------------
CAR  65 231 51 69 14  3  3  27 13  5 25 36 .320 .378 .424

[Edd Roush]

So wait, this guy has 153 at bats in the higher rookie ball league and they are calling a 27th round pick a potential Major League All-Star? Am I reading that right?

[dougdirt]

Promoted to Dayton today. Hopefully he continues to hit the crap out of the ball!

[camisadelgolf]

So wait, this guy has 153 at bats in the higher rookie ball league and they are calling a 27th round pick a potential Major League All-Star? Am I reading that right?

Do I think he'll be an All-Star? No. All I basically said was that if he continues to hit well over .300, take walks, hit with a little power, and steal bases, he could be an All-Star. Anyone's a potential All-Star in any given year. For example, look at Chris Cannizzaro in 1969 . . .

[KittyDuran]

http://www.daytondragons.com/pressbo...article_id=426

Jones Pinch Hit Double Makes Winners of Dragons
08/02/2007 9:44 PM
Dayton, OH – Eight and a half innings of baseball had not solved a whole lot at Fifth Third Field on Thursday night as the Dayton Dragons and Wisconsin Timber Rattlers were deadlocked at 1-1 heading to the bottom of the ninth. Keltavious Jones, just added to the Dragons roster from the Billings Mustangs delivered a pinch hit RBI double scoring Jason Louwsma from second base and the Dragons took three of four in the series with an exciting 2-1 walk off win.

Once again, runs were at a premium in the early innings as the starting pitchers found a way to work out of jams. For the Dragons, Jamie Arneson (ND) had runners on base in all five innings he pitched, but managed to escape allowing just one run. Ron Garth connected for a deep home run to left field in the fourth inning as the only run Wisconsin scored against the Dayton starter. In his 5.0 innings of work, Arneson gave up five hits and walked four,

Wisconsin starter Ricky Orta (ND) also found himself in trouble because of walks in the second inning. A single by Logan Parker to start the frame, and walks to Louwsma and Tony Esquer had the bases loaded. In between the runners reaching, Orta managed to strike out the side to leave the bases loaded. After getting Zack Cozart to end the second, Orta set down the next nine hitters in a row. In his 5.0 innings, Orta allowed just one hit, walked three, and struck out seven.

Dayton got on the board against the Timber Rattlers bullpen in the sixth innings. Drew Stubbs began the inning with a triple to left-center field against Mike Wagner (ND), his third of the season. One out later, Juan Francisco blooped a single over the drawn-in infield to score Stubbs and tie the game at 1-1.

Wisconsin had a big opportunity in the eighth inning. Terrell Young (ND) walked Gavin Dickey to begin the inning, and a stolen base plus a sacrifice put Dickey at third with one out. Ramon Geronimo (WP, 5-2) was summoned from the pen to keep the tying run at third. Geronimo passed the test with flying colors, striking out Kuo Hui Lo and Reed Eastley to end the threat.

The Dragons also threatened in the eighth against Steve Richard (LP, 4-3), albeit with two outs. Justin Turner had a two out double to put the go ahead run in scoring position, but Francisco bounced out to the first baseman to end the threat.

Richard pitched his way into a mess in the bottom half of the ninth inning by issuing back-to-back one out walks to Louwsma and Denis Phipps. Manager Donnie Scott called upon Jones to pinch hit following the second walk of the inning. Jones, called up from Billings in the Pioneer League to replace Chris Heisey who promoted to Sarasota in the Florida State League, came through in his Dragons debut. Jones battled and with two strikes fouled off consecutive pitches off Richard. The eighth pitch of the at bat was sent deep to right field over the head of Luery Bonilla, who crashed into the wall trying to make a spectacular over the shoulder catch. Louwsma scored from second with the game winning run on the Jones double as Dayton picked up the 2-1 win. After a tense few minutes on the field, Bonilla was able to walk off the field under his own power.

[Edd Roush]

Do I think he'll be an All-Star? No. All I basically said was that if he continues to hit well over .300, take walks, hit with a little power, and steal bases, he could be an All-Star. Anyone's a potential All-Star in any given year. For example, look at Chris Cannizzaro in 1969 . . .

No insult was intended camisadelgolf. Your write-up was so professional looking that I thought you got it from some sort of publication. Either way, I'm excited about all of this talent in the Reds' system right now.

[camisadelgolf]

Thank you very much, Edd Roush. I'm excited about the Reds' system, too.

[camisadelgolf]

Jones has an OBP of .289 over nine games in Dayton, but hopefully it's just a slow start.

[KittyDuran]

Here's a pic from Friday night's Play Ball!