Business as usual for Missions' Jones

Jimmy Jones' baseball journey has gone full cycle.

It began when San Diego selected the hard-throwing pitcher from Dallas Thomas Jefferson as its No. 1 Draft pick in 1982 (third overall). After pitching in the Major Leagues with the Padres, New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Montreal Expos and two seasons with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan, Jones has put together a six-year career with the organization that launched his career, the past four as the Missions' pitching coach.

Being at the Double-A level has been enjoyable. After all, this is where things start to take shape. Some advance to Triple-A, but it's not out of the ordinary to also see them jump to the major leagues. Such was the case last season when Burch Smith joined the Padres after six starts with the Missions. For others, this is where it all ends.

Jones tries to do his part to make sure the careers continue.

"This is a good level to be coaching as far as the transition is concerned," said Jones, who spent most of the 2012 season as the Padres' bullpen coach following the death of Darrel Akerfelds, before returning to the Missions in 2013. "Guys will hit their ceiling here. You have the young guys who need to make the transition to get to the next level. You have the guys who are 25, 26 or older that kind of hit that ceiling.

"They're still pretty good, but if they can find something, whether it is consistency, a better approach or better command, they might be able to break through that ceiling. I'm here to help."

From Jones' experience as a player and coach, the key to success in Double-A is adapting to the atmosphere physically and mentally, while taking care of the essentials.

 "My pitching coach in A ball (Mike Hall) ran us back then and talked to us a lot about Double-A," Jones said. "He told us when we got there the pitching coach wasn't going to run us. That would be our job. We had to take care of the things we needed to become a major league player. That stuck with me."

Now, Jones is delivering the same message. He still works with pitchers on mechanics and how to handle certain situations, but the primary emphasis is approaching pitching with a business frame of mind.

 "I want these guys to make that transition," Jones said. "They're still developing, but they have to take control of their career without being selfish. They have to go into a game with the idea of how to approach a hitter. This is their job. It's like working for IBM every day. You go in and take care of your stuff. You come back the next day and do it again. It's your career."

The players buy into Jones' philosophy. Mostly, they're sold on Jones' presence. As a former pitcher, he's been there before and can relate to the highs and lows they're experiencing.

"I learned a lot from him last year," said starting pitcher Matt Wisler, who joined the club in May last year and was instrumental in helping the Missions claim the championship. "He's helped my mental aspect of the game. He's fun to work with, too. He really helps you to go about your business."

While Wisler is working his second year with Jones, starter Jesse Hahn is becoming acquainted with the Missions pitching coach after coming to the Padres following an off-season trade.

Although it's been a short period, Jones has already left an impact.

 "He is a great pitching coach," Hahn said. "He's just like us. He is a very good player's coach. We're able to relate to him. He doesn't think his way is the only way. He always tries to find that happy medium to make you feel comfortable. He's there to help you get better."

Jones has been successful in his development of the pitchers during his time in San Antonio. However, last year is the one that stands out as pitching played a major role in the Missions winning their 13^th Texas League championship.

Under Jones' guidance, the Missions led the Texas League with a 3.19 ERA and a franchise-record 50 saves, while recording 14 shutouts. The staff also allowed the TL's fewest hits (1113), runs (527), earn runs (438), home runs (93) and walks (352).

That was quite an accomplishment since several of the pitchers moved up to Triple-A (Tucson at the time) or San Diego throughout the season.

While watching such pitchers as Keyvius Sampson, Matt Andriese, Donn Roach, Kevin Quackenbush, Jeremy McBryde and Wisler progress, Jones knew he had something special not only because of their talent, but the way they approached the game.

"They were good businessmen," Jones said. "They came to the park every day ready. They knew their job. They knew their role. They did their work, woke up the next morning and did it again with no complaints. They knew it was a six-month season systematically and approached it that way.

"Our bullpen had guys like Quackenbush and McBryde who set the example. With Quack, you never knew he was around because he didn't say much. Then, he went out there and struck out three to get the save. JMac (McBride) was a veteran guy who went out there and did his job, too. They were the executives you looked up to and wanted to be like some day."

The jury is still out on this season's staff, but the potential for another banner season is present. Wisler (1-0, 3.00ERA) and Hahn (1-0, 0.00 ERA) are piggybacking their starts with pleasing results.

Josh Geer (0-2, 2.25 ERA), the 2007 TL Pitcher of the Year, has been a steady part of the rotation and progress is coming from Devin Jones (2-1, 4.80), Justin Hancock (1-1, 4.50 ERA), James Needy (0-1, 6.23 ERA),

The Missions' bullpen has also gone through hot and cold spells. However, closer Johnny Barbato has a TL-leading five saves. Impressive work has also come from Adys Portillo (0-0, 1.08 ERA), Frank Garces (0-0, 2.08 ERA), Jerry Sullivan (0-0, 1.35 ERA) and Luis De La Cruz (0-1, 0.00 ERA).

"This year's staff is very good as far as raw ability," Jones said. "They're young, but some of them need to get over the A-ball mentality. You're here and you need to start thinking like a big league pitcher. You have to start working like a big league pitcher.

"We have a good starting rotation. We have guys who still need to rise with the tide, but they'll do it. The bullpen is just as good as last year, but we don't have that barometer of someone they want to be like yet. It's going to take someone going out and proving they can do it. I think if they do that we'll find that guy. The main thing is they need to have the same intensity throughout and repeat it. It all goes back to them doing their job, because every pitch is a task at hand."

Rich Dauer is seeing strides being made in the first month. When it's all said and done, the Missions' manager is confident Jones will have another masterpiece.

"JJ is one of the best I've seen," Dauer said. "He stresses the mechanics. But it's not all about the mechanics. It's about repeating those things to make you successful. He takes the pitchers' best abilities and strengthens that. And he works on the weaknesses. He does it in a way that's easy for the pitchers to understand it."

The current Missions players weren't around when Jones was on the mound. However, they have heard of his success. Some of the stories are legendary, including one which happened before the Padres drafted him.

Jones took the mound for Jefferson in a best-of-three quarterfinal series against Texarkana Texas with a Class 5A State Tournament berth on the line.

The game went 16 innings before Texas High pulled out a 7-6 victory. Jones went the distance, recording 28 strikeouts while throwing 251 pitches and hitting a home run.

Jones still smiles when recalling the classic contest. The same thing happens reflecting on his professional career.

After all, the 14 years, eight in the majors, was quite a ride as Jones produced a 43-39 record and 4.46 ERA, while also tossing a one-hitter against the Astros in his major league debut in 1986.

"I knew I wanted to play in the pros," said Jones, who was headed to Rice before the Padres made their pick. "I always thought I would go to college and I didn't, which I regret. But I made baseball my life. It was a good career."

While handling the work on the mound, Jones learned as much he could about his craft. Much of the information came from pitching coaches and managers, but he also picked up valuable tips from hitting coaches, along with other pitchers and batters.

Now, the wealth of knowledge is coming in handy as a coach.

Jones was out of pro baseball 13 years, spending much of that time giving pitching lessons and coaching at a private high school in Flower Mound. When he got an offer from the Padres to come back as a pitching coach, Jones eagerly accepted.

Though it's not the same as being on the mound, the role still leaves Jones with a feeling of accomplishment, especially when one of his pitchers makes it to the top.

 "I'm always happy to help them get there," Jones said. "You know they have been in their backyard since they were five dreaming about pitching in the seventh game of the World Series. So, it's always exciting to see them get the call-up."