The story of Mike Jones remains, behind Steve Busby and Yordano Ventura, one of the greatest “what ifs” in Royals history. Jones was the Royals’ first-round draft pick, number 21 overall, in the 1977 draft out of Pittsford (NY) high school. The 1977 draft was something else. Harold Baines was the number one pick, followed by Bill Gullickson and Paul Molitor. Other first-round selections of note were Terry Kennedy, Richard Dotson, Wally Backman, Bob Welch, and Dave Henderson. That’s a pretty decent collection of talent in one round.
A terrific high school athlete, Jones had a lot going for him, being a left-handed pitcher plus he was a big man, standing 6’6 and 215 pounds.