Jared Jones unveils 'something nasty' with new pitch in spring debut as Pirates fall to Braves

BRADENTON, Fla. — Jared Jones unveiled a new pitch in his first start of spring training, though the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander hesitates to label it.

For now, the two-seam fastball is a “sinker or whatever you want to call it.”

What does Jones want to call it? “Something nasty.”

The pitch produced nasty results for Jones in two scoreless innings in a 2-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday afternoon at LECOM Park, especially when Garrett Cooper hit one for a broken-bat dribbler back to the mound to start the second inning.

“That was a cool feeling,” Jones said. “Hadn’t broke a bat in a while.”

Jones threw five sinkers in a 27-pitch outing that saw him deliver 18 strikes, allow one hit and one walk and record three strikeouts in facing seven batters. The new pitch generated one called strike and four swings, with two fouls, two balls in play — including a pop up to second base by Jake Marisnick to finish the frame in the second inning.

The 23-year-old Jones is adamant that his bread-and-butter pitch is still his four-seam fastball, which he threw 13 times at an average of 96.9 mph, topping out at 98.5. Jones also made it clear he’s not interested in introducing the sinker at the expense of his heater.

“If it does, we’re going to get rid of it,” Jones said. “But the four-seam’s been fine. It’s been in the same spot it’s been. So, things are looking pretty good right now. … I don’t think it sucks like I thought it did. I think it’s a pretty good pitch so far.”

Jones said he would abandon the pitch if it wasn’t up to par.

“I don’t think it sucked. I think we saw that,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said with a smile. “He had good action on it, good velo on it. It’s nice to see that. Spring training is for working on things, and the evolution of a new pitch is the time to be able to try it. I was pleased with how he incorporated it.”

Pirates manager Derek Shelton on Jared Jones unveiling his new pitch, a sinker he threw five times and generated four swings: “I don’t think it sucked.” pic.twitter.com/e6yBWm5MLY

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) February 25, 2025

Jones is notorious for being hard on himself, a perfectionist with no patience who offered that he had to cut himself off after throwing 30 pitches in each bullpen this offseason. Jones has high standards, so if a pitch doesn’t meet them he views it as terrible. For two months, he saw the sinker as a terrible pitch and had to rein himself in.

“Just making sure I’m not out there for 102 just throwing 70 two-seamers,” Jones said, “’cause I would eventually get there if I let myself.”

But he saw good results in his first Grapefruit League game. Shelton believes breaking the bat of Cooper — who later doubled off the top of the center-field wall against two-time All-Star closer David Bednar — served as validation for a young pitcher incorporating his new pitch.

“Just reaffirms everything you’re working on in a side because you don’t get that immediate reaction,” Shelton said. “The fact that he got it is encouraging. Once you see that, it gives a little more space to work on it.

“You need to get the feel for it when you’re working on the side. Then you need hitter reaction. You need to be able to see how it works. He has spring training to be able to work on it, to see how it reacts. Then we get a good look at it metrically, to see how hitter reaction is, to see how it feels coming out of his hand.”

Notes: Designated hitter Ke’Bryan Hayes went 2 for 2 and has hits in three of his first four at-bats. Non-roster invitee DJ Stewart doubled in his only at-bat and is 3 for 6 with two doubles and home run in his first three games. Reliever Tanner Rainey struck out three of the four batters he faced and made his second scoreless appearance. … The Pirates are in split-squad action Wednesday, with left-hander Bailey Falter scheduled to start against Tomoyuki Sugano and the Baltimore Orioles at 1:05 p.m. at LECOM Park. Mike Burrows is expected to start for the Pirates as they play the Braves in North Port.