Jones got the call to the majors in 1988, joining the Phillies on Aug. 26. He hit .290 with an .843 OPS in 33 games, and the Phils thought they had a star outfielder in the making who'd be a mainstay for years to come.
He made the 1989 team out of spring training and was hitting .290 when disaster struck. He tore the patellar tendon in his right knee after he crashed into the outfield wall at Shea Stadium on April 18. He missed the rest of the year. He worked hard to rehab the knee and was back with the Phils in late May 1990. And then the unthinkable happened. Jones got his cleats caught in the artificial turf at Veterans Stadium on June 30 and tore the patellar tendon in his other knee and was done for the season.
He tried to come back one more time in 1991, but struggled at the plate. He hit just .154 and was out of the major leagues after the season. He tried to continue his career, playing in the minor leagues, independent leagues, and in Mexico. But by 2000, he was done.
Jones coached youth baseball in Texas in the early 2000s but died in 2006, a week before his 42nd birthday. The word tragic just doesn't seem descriptive enough to sum up Jones' career.
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