For Jones, sticking at catcher is important as pro career begins

Sir Jamison Jones walked into the Nationals clubhouse yesterday like many draft picks before him. While still very young in the face, his 6-foot-2, 225-pound frame looked like it already belonged in a major league clubhouse.

While standing next to the 5-foot-11, 197-pound Luke Dickerson, the Nats’ second-round pick who also officially signed yesterday to a record bonus for a non-first-rounder, Jones looked like he was years older than his fellow high school selection.

Jones was the Nats’ 15th-round pick out of St. Rita High School in Illinois. Although he was picked in the later rounds, the 18-year-old had an idea the Nationals were interested in him after a workout with the team a month before the draft.

“I had a workout here in early June and I felt nothing but great about it,” Jones said during a joint introductory press conference with Dickerson yesterday. “I had a really strong feeling that this is a team that really, really liked me. And my agent, he ended up calling me that morning and he was like, 'Well, they have an offer and they're really interested. So this is the offer.' And I was like, you know what, yeah. That's the right opportunity. So I got the opportunity and I'm extremely happy to take it.”

Jones’ signing bonus is reportedly $500,000, which is more than the $150,000 assigned to picks taken after the 10th round. So $350,000 of his bonus counts against the Nationals’ $13,895,100 bonus pool in order to sign him away from his commitment to play at Oklahoma State University.

Jones was the third catcher selected by the Nats in this year’s draft, a pivot from previous drafts with new vice president of amateur scouting Danny Haas and senior director of amateur scouting Brad Ciolek now in charge. Jones joins Caleb Lomavita (No. 39 overall out of the University of California, Berkeley) and Kevin Bazzell (No. 79 overall out of Texas Tech University) as the backstops of this draft class.

Jones was the No. 6 high school prospect and No. 2 catcher in Illinois, per Perfect Game.

He was also Baseball America's No. 372 draft prospect: "Jones is one of the most physical players in the 2024 prep class and has tons of strength currently with a 6-foot-3, 225-pound frame. He can generate huge fly balls and has exciting power upside because of his massive strength … Jones has a big arm behind the plate, but he’ll need to work to stick behind the plate and might fit best as a first baseman.”

Jones must have read that report because his response when asked what he hopes to prove as he grows over the next couple of years was sticking at catcher.

“I know one big thing for me is sticking at the catcher position,” he said. “I want to catch for my entire career as long as God will let me. And I know with that will come me paving the way for other people who look like me and who want to play catcher. I want to give those kids an opportunity to see me do it and have the confidence to go out and do it. And know that it's gonna be a hard path, but if you stay steady and fight through it, you're gonna make it.”

Catcher wasn’t even the topic at hand, yet he brought it up unprompted in his response. So why is sticking at catcher so important for him?

“Number one, on the field it's a position that holds a lot of leadership,” Jones said. “I love being a leader. I feel like that's one of the traits that yells about me on the field. I'm smart. I love the man-help. Micromanage my pictures and micromanage the team. Just try and do whatever we can to help them win.

“And another thing is, there's not a lot of African American catchers in MLB. Hopefully, one day, I'll get to be one of the only ones. So just to have that on my back. I know it's a target, but I'm gonna continue to work hard and push through it and show the kids that you can do it if you put your mind to it.”

High school players – especially those selected in the bottom half of the draft – are always long-term projects. But however long Jones takes to reach the majors (if he does at all), the Nats have to be happy with the person they drafted.

“That's one big thing that I was taught coming up is to be a great guy, no matter if you're in the lineup or you're not in the lineup,” he said. “That's something that I definitely want to embody through my years while I'm here, being a great teammate and helping keep the guys up in the clubhouse no matter what it may be.”