Nationals Farm Authority

Rule 5 Draft Prospect(s) - The Smiths

Rule 5 Draft Prospect - Jamie D’Antona

Typically, the Rule 5 draft list is populated by toolsy OFs, hard-throwing relievers, and lefthanded pitchers. The next name to watch falls into one of those categories

Minnesota Twins LHP Justin Jones

Year	Team	Age	Org	Level	G/GS	IP	ERA	WHIP	HR9	BB9	K9
2002	Az Cubs	17	Chc	Rk	11/11	50.00	1.80	0.98	0.0	3.2	11.3
	Boise	17	Chc	A-	1/1	5.00	1.80	1.40	0.0	5.4	7.2
2003	Lansing	18	Chc	A	16/16	71.00	2.28	1.24	0.1	4.1	11.0
2004	Lansing	19	Chc	A	15/15	64.33	3.78	1.31	0.8	3.1	8.3
	Quad City	19	Min	A	7/4	20.33	5.31	1.67	0.9	6.2	7.5
2005	Fort Myers	20	Min	A+	13/13	77.67	3.01	1.36	0.6	3.2	6.3
2006	Fort Myers	21	Min	A+	12/10	53.67	5.20	1.75	0.5	3.7	5.4
	New Britain	21	Min	AA	6/6	27.67	3.25	1.63	0.0	4.9	9.4

Jones was a 2002 2nd round draft pick by the Chicago Cubs out of Kellam High School in Virginia Beach, VA. He was sent to the Twins as part of the 2004 four team deal centered around Nomar Garciaparra that included Chicago, Minnesota, Boston, and Montreal. Jones has a low 90s fastball, plus curveball, and an above average changeup. The knock on Jones so far is staying healthy. He has been plagued by a tired arm in the past, but in his limited time on the mound has demonstrated some promise. He’s still only 22, so there is still time for him to develop. It may be risky towards his development to carry him all 2007 as a lefthanded specialist out of the bullpen, but it could be worth the gamble.