Derek Jones can admit now that he had a bit of a chip on his shoulder when he got passed over in the Major League Baseball draft following his senior year at Snohomish High School.
And he’s willing to offer the possibility that he spent plenty of time wavering on his decision to return for his senior season at Washington State after the Baltimore Orioles made him a 13th-round pick in the 2011 MLB draft.
None of that mattered Tuesday, when Jones was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the eighth round.
“Last year, it was kind of bittersweet because I didn’t know what I wanted to do. This year, it’s a lot better; I can just go with the flow,” the former Snohomish and WSU star said Tuesday.
Jones was one of five players from in-state colleges selected on Day 2 of the draft Tuesday.
Everett Community College right-handed pitcher Keone Kela, from Chief Sealth High School in West Seattle, went to the Texas Rangers in the 12th round.
University of Washington infielder Jacob Lamb was a sixth-round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Three picks later, at No. 216 overall, Texas took Gonzaga centerfielder Royce Bollinger. In Round 7, WSU first baseman Taylor Ard was selected by the Mariners.
For Jones, the excitement of Tuesday’s news had little to do with the round he was taken but more to do with opportunity ahead for him. He said he was hoping to stay in this part of the country so that he wouldn’t have to adjust to cultural differences and be too far from his family.
He watched the draft via live internet feed for much of Tuesday morning, alongside his parents. They traveled to Pullman to be with him on his big day while Jones finishes two classes before earning a degree in sports management on June 15. He doesn’t have any intention of using his degree for a while — provided that his professional baseball career carries him through the first phase of his post-college years.
Jones said he doesn’t regret returning for his senior year at WSU, where he became the program’s all-time home run leader and hit .335 last season.
“It was definitely a tough decision,” he said via telephone Tuesday. “It’s human nature to second-guess yourself. But at the end of the day, if you’re happy with the decision, you can move on — and I was definitely happy with my decision.
“I had a good final season, I improved on many things, and I got to be around people I really enjoy being around. Minus a Pac-12 championship and playing in (an NCAA) super-regional this weekend, I feel like I had a pretty good experience.”
Kim Hammons, who coached Jones at Snohomish High, believes the outfielder has a chance to make an impact as a pro.
“He’s got some good pop,” Hammons said Tuesday. “In Colorado, if he makes it all the way there, he’s a guy who could surprise people.”
The draft continues today, after 488 players were selected during Monday and Tuesday’s first 15 rounds. UW products Aaron West, a pitcher from Snohomish, and Chase Anselment, a catcher from Meadowdale High, are among the local products still hoping to get a call.
Jones was happy to among the players who got the call Tuesday, but he hasn’t quite shed that underdog label yet.
“I’m definitely going to take it with me to pro ball, that little chip on my shoulder,” he said. “Every motivation counts.”
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