Pirates ink third-round Draft pick Jones

While the Cape Cod League is underway in Massachusetts, with some of the most talented young baseball players on display, last year's Home Run Derby champion, JaCoby Jones, has signed with the Pirates.

Jones, the third-round pick by Pittsburgh in this summer's First-Year Player Draft, had 12 extra-base hits in 35 games in the Cape last summer. He then went on to hit .294 with six homers in 59 games as a junior with Louisiana State University and earned second-team All-SEC honors. The Pirates selected him 87th overall in June.

While Jones played second base at LSU, he was introduced as an outfielder when drafted, then listed as a shortstop when the team issued a press release to announce his signing on Monday.

With athleticism and 4.1-second speed to first base, the Pirates will find a position that fits eventually.

"We'll develop the player and the person in combination to find the best fit for him on the field," Pirates director of amateur scouting Joe DelliCarri said after Jones was selected. "We'll play him in multiple positions here. Most important, develop the person, continue to develop the athlete, and he has a chance to be in the role of a good baseball player."

Jones, 21, will begin his professional career with the Jamestown Jammers of the New York-Penn League.

The Pirates have signed 23 players from the Draft.