2023 Mets Draft profile: Gavyn Jones

Left-hander Gavyn Jones has experienced a massive amount of helium this past spring, rising from an obscure high school pitcher from a city in east Texas with a population just a shade above 6,000 to a nationally crosschecked and followed prep pitching prospect who is considered not only one of the better left-handed pitchers in the Lone Star State, but one of the better high school prospects, period. The southpaw won District 15-3A Most Valuable Player honors this past spring on the strength of impressive numbers at the plate and on the mound. Jones hit .490 with 12 doubles, 2 triples, 11 home runs, and 16 stolen bases in 18 attempts while posting a 0.97 ERA in 79 innings on the mound, walking 47 and striking out 144.

At 6’2”, 205-pounds, the left-hander has an optimum build for pitching. His body is well proportioned and is likely to fill in even more. He throws from a three-quarters arm slot with a simple, loose delivery, allowing him to fill the zone with strikes, though he is not as good pitching from the stretch as he is from his full wind-up, as the majority of his walks this past season have come when pitching from the stretch. His fastball has improved exponentially this past spring, which is the reason why his stock has grown. It generally sat in the low-to-mid-90s, topping out at 93 MPH, as opposed to his junior season last year, where it generally sat in the high-80s, topping out at 91 MPH. There is still work to be done, as Jones lost some velocity in most starts, working in the upper portions of his velocity band early but dropping to the lower portions of it mid-start. He complements his heater with a slider and a changeup, both of which are still somewhat raw but both are projectable. His slider features 1-7 shape and has sharp, downward bite indicative of high spin rates, while his changeup has roughly 10 MPH of velocity separation from his fastball and has last minute fade.

While his baseball future is undoubtedly on the mound, Jones is a fairly proficient hitter. He crowds the plate, standing slightly open with his hands high and his bat wrapped behind his head angled at 11:00. He swings with a slight toe tap and is quick through the zone, recording exit velocities around 90 MPH.

Jones has a commitment to Texas Tech.