Long Beach State University Athletics
Photo by: John Fajardo
LJ Jones IV Selected In Fifth Round By St. Louis Cardinals
6/11/2020 8:11:00 PM | Baseball
Jones joins Adam Seminaris as a Top 5 Round pick after hitting .327 with two home runs in the shortened 2020 season.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Outfielder Leonard Jones parlayed a strong junior campaign into a Top 5 MLB Draft selection, picked 152nd overall by the St. Louis Cardinals.
After missing most of his sophomore season due to injury, Jones returned in a big way in 2020, hitting .327 overall with a pair of home runs and hitting safely in 12 of 14 games played this season for the Dirtbags. His batting average was second-best among Long Beach State regulars while splitting his time played between the outfield, first base and designated hitter.
Jones played in 42 games as a freshman, hitting .312 with nine doubles, but missed nearly the entire 2019 season after getting hit by a pitch on the hand against Florida.
Returning with a vengeance in 2020, Jones made his presence most felt by hitting .454 against No. 17 Wake Forest in a series win before going 3-for-5 with two RBI in the series clinching victory earlier this season against No. 6 Mississippi State.
Jones' selection gives the Dirtbags two picks in the top five rounds of the MLB draft for the first time since the 2010 draft, and leaves Long Beach State as the only Big West program with multiple players picked in the 2020 MLB draft.
After missing most of his sophomore season due to injury, Jones returned in a big way in 2020, hitting .327 overall with a pair of home runs and hitting safely in 12 of 14 games played this season for the Dirtbags. His batting average was second-best among Long Beach State regulars while splitting his time played between the outfield, first base and designated hitter.
Jones played in 42 games as a freshman, hitting .312 with nine doubles, but missed nearly the entire 2019 season after getting hit by a pitch on the hand against Florida.
Returning with a vengeance in 2020, Jones made his presence most felt by hitting .454 against No. 17 Wake Forest in a series win before going 3-for-5 with two RBI in the series clinching victory earlier this season against No. 6 Mississippi State.
Jones' selection gives the Dirtbags two picks in the top five rounds of the MLB draft for the first time since the 2010 draft, and leaves Long Beach State as the only Big West program with multiple players picked in the 2020 MLB draft.
Players Mentioned
1B/OF
/ BaseballFriends Welcoming TJ Bruce to the Beach
Tuesday, July 02
Dirtbags Baseball Head coach TJ Bruce Welcome Celebration
Thursday, June 27
Dirtbags Baseball: Head coach TJ Bruce Welcome Celebration
Tuesday, June 25
Dirtbags Baseball Game Highlights vs UC Riverside 4/19/2024
Saturday, April 20
