Angels' Jones delivers third three-hit AFL performance

MESA, Ariz. -- Jahmai Jones impacted the game with both his bat and his speed on Wednesday as he paced Mesa's offense with three hits and scored two runs in a 4-3 win over Peoria at Sloane Park.
"We came in early -- the cages opened up at 7:30 a.m. -- and just knew it was going to be a good day," said Jones after the game. "The guys around me really helped me out … we have a really good lineup, a strong lineup 1-9, and today we just executed when we needed to and got a win."
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After lining out to the left fielder in his first at-bat of the game, Jones hammered a 1-0 offering from Peoria starter Jeremy Walker for an opposite-field double to lead off the third inning. He advanced to third one batter later on a groundout and then scored Mesa's first run on Bobby Dalbec's double to left field.

The Angels' No. 4 prospect tallied his second hit in as many innings in the fourth when he hit a sharp grounder to the third baseman and beat the throw at first base. And while he was subsequently thrown out attempting to steal second base, Jones remained in a rundown long enough for Daniel Woodrow to score from third base.
"Thankfully Danny was on third base on the double steal and took off immediately -- he can fly -- so I saw that, stopped up at first and made sure that run scored because we were in a close game with a good ballclub," said Jones.
Jones picked up his third hit of the game in the seventh inning on a hard ground ball up the middle that deflected off Peoria shortstop Lucius Fox's glove and into center field. The 21-year-old second baseman then advanced to second on a walk and to third base on a wild pitch before scoring the go-ahead run on Nico Hoerner's second single of the game.
Jones finished the game 3-for-4, marking his third three-hit performance in the Fall League.
Overall, the 2016 second-rounder is hitting .353 with 10 runs scored through nine games in Arizona after a regular season in which he slashed .239/.337/.380 with 39 extra-base hits and 24 steals between Class A Advanced Inland Empire and Double-A Mobile.
"I learned a lot from my teammates [in Double-A] and just a lot about the game itself. I knew taking the knowledge I had at the end of the year into the Fall League … that'd I just try do everything I could," Jones said about his transition from the Southern League to AFL.
"I want to be a guy that can try to be a five-tool player -- try to do everything I can when I get on base, try to do everything I can when I get in the box -- but also knowing what kind of player I am and staying within myself. "