Randy Rosetta covers LSU baseball for the Baton Rouge Advocate, and thus is more in the know than most anybody else - outside of the Astros (but that's a reach) - about what's going on with 19th Round pick JaCoby Jones. He was kind enough to answer a few questions for Astros County.
AC: What's the latest on the Jones developments?
RR: Wish I had an answer on that, but I can’t get JaCoby or his dad, Bubba, to return calls. That’s usually an indication that the family doesn’t want to tip its hand in any way for fear of it being construed one way or another. Which leads me to believe that the Joneses are still willing to entertain an offer from the Astros.
We Astros fans feel like Jones has a solid commitment to LSU - is there any indication to think otherwise?
See the answer above. While JaCoby has spoken to some media members in Mississippi and said he’s committed to playing for LSU, his silence over here and the fact that he hasn’t made a public announcement is a strong signal that the Astros are still very much in play.
How important is Jones to (coach) Paul Mainieri and LSU baseball?
Hugely. Jones and a kid from Lake Charles, La. – Garin Cecchini are the two best position players the Tigers signed in this class and both are weighing pro offers and likely will until Aug. 16.
Jones would almost certainly be a starter from day one at either third base or first base and could be a three-hole hitter. LSU just got a late commitment from a kid named Raph Rhymes from Monroe, La., and LSU-Eunice – a prominent junior-college program. That’s an indication to me that Paul Mainieri thinks he’s not going to land both Jones and Cecchini.
The Astros apparently offered Jones in the neighborhood of $1.5 million to sign. He obviously hasn't done that yet - what can we read into that?
Not to beat a dead horse, but his conspicuous silence with the media tells me he’s seriously mulling whatever offer the Astros have come up with. The longer this drags out, the more it favors the pro team.
Big thanks to Rosetta, and if you like LSU baseball, Line Drives is a must-read.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
