Utah Baseball Starting Pitcher Merit Jones Selected By Minnesota Twins
Jul 16, 2024, 4:25 PM | Updated: 4:28 pm
Utah pitcher Merit Jones (11) pitches during a game against BYU at Smith's Ballpark in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.
(11)
SALT LAKE CITY— University of Utah starting pitcher Merit Jones was the last college student with Utah ties to hear his name called when the Minnesota selected him in the 20th round of the MLB draft.
The Twins selected Jones with the 608th overall selection in the 2024 MLB First-Year Player Draft. D1Baseball.com had ranked Jones as the No. 29 overall prospect out of the Pac-12 for the 2025 MLB Draft.
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The #MNTwins wrap up the 2024 draft with RHP Merit Jones from Utah
The Ute tossed 68.1 innings, allowing an ERA of 5.66 with 33 walks and 68 strikeouts. pic.twitter.com/OgPMc4sxK3
— Twins Central (@TwinsCentral1) July 16, 2024
Jones made 14 appearances and 13 starts as a sophomore for the Utes, finishing with a 3-5 record and 5.56 ERA in 68.1 innings of work. He registered the first save of his career, retiring six consecutive Oregon Ducks in the Pac-12 Tournament.
Jones is eligible to return to Utah if he does not sign with the Twins.
He is the third generation of his family to attend the U of U, following in the footsteps of his grandparents and both parents.
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About Merit Jones
Highly decorated out of Idaho Falls High School in Idaho Falls, Idaho, Jones was the 2022 5A All-Idaho Player of the Year, 2022 Gatorade Idaho Player of the Year, and a 2022 Perfect Game Preseason All-American while playing for head coach Trent Johnson.
Rated the No. 1 righthanded pitcher in Idaho by Perfect Game and the second-ranked player in the state, Jones went 7-1 with a 1.57 ERA and 71 punchouts over 53.1 innings as a senior. He was 9-0 with a 1.25 ERA and 64 strikeouts as a prep junior.
.@MeritJones3 has been drafted by the @Twins 👏👏#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/4YmX2fdIkq
— Utah Baseball (@utahbaseball) July 16, 2024
Jones made a team-high 13 starts as a freshman for Utah, finishing with a 2-4 record in 60 innings of work. He ended 2023 with 49 strikeouts, good for the third-highest mark on the team.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering the Utah State Aggies, Locals in MLB, and Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees, Beehive baseball, and Aggie athletics coverage here.
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