Devin Jones Becomes Fifth 2011 Diamond Dog To Ink A Pro Contract
The Eupora, Miss., native, a ninth-round pick of the Baltimore Orioles in Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft, signed with Baltimore Friday afternoon. He will begin his pro career at the Orioles' training camp in Sarasota, Fla., and likely be assigned later to the Aberdeen (Md.) Ironbirds in the Class A New York-Penn League.
Jones posted a 2-5 record with a 4.37 earned run average in 19 appearances (59.2 innings pitched) in 2011. He closed out his career in impressive fashion with three innings of shutout relief work against top-ranked Florida in the championship game of the Gainesville Super Regional.
Two other Diamond Dogs selected in this month's draft, seniors Nick Vickerson (Texas Rangers) and Jarrod Parks (Los Angeles Angeles), have begun their professional baseball careers while two other MSU seniors, shortstop Jonathan Ogden and catcher Wes Thigpen, have also launched their pro careers after signing free agent contracts with the Detroit Tigers.
Senior outfielder Jaron Shepherd, a 33rd-round selection of the Colorado Rockies, has not yet completed a contract agreement with the Rockies.