LSU baseball slugger Jared Jones drafted by Pittsburgh Pirates
LSU baseball slugger Jared Jones learned his professional home on Monday. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected him in the ninth round with the No. 263 pick on Monday.
Jones was a top-150 prospect entering the 2025 season. He had a chance to go pro last year, but elected to return to LSU. An up and down junior year hurt Jones' draft stock, but he remained productive, and the raw power is there.
Jones finished 2025 with .323 batting average, a .613 slugging, 22 home runs, and 76 RBI. He's not much of a runner, but he still managed to steal five bases and score 66 runs.
He came through in big moments for the Tigers during the NCAA Tournament, delivering clutch hits when the team needed him most. That included a walk-off vs. Arkansas to send LSU to the College World Series final. That hit will go down as one of the most memorable in LSU history.
Through three seasons at LSU, Jones amassed 189 appearances. As a freshman, he was a part of the 2023 national championship team, then developed into a powerful slugger by 2024. He hit 28 homers and commanded attention from professional scouts before returning for another year in Baton Rouge.
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