A-Ball with Erik Oas Episode 8: Thomas Jones interview and pitching success

Erik Oas delivers a full report on the Clinton LumberKings, highlighting amazing no-hit bids from Humberto Mejía and Chris Vallimont. Then, outfielder Thomas Jones joins the podcast (6:05) to talk about learning from Juan Pierre, Mike Jacobs and other experienced coaches in the Marlins organization (9:50), the choice he made between football and baseball (12:00), the mental battle with opposing pitchers (19:10) and getting through the grind of the season with swag.

Enjoy Episode 8 of A-Ball!

Jones discusses being a student of the game:

“I’m all ears. Every little piece of information I can get, everything that can improve my game...Juan [Pierre], just talking to him in spring training, he’s always telling me, ‘Don’t overthink, don’t overthink. Play the game that God blessed you with the abilities he gave you.’”

The 28th-ranked Marlins prospect according to MLB Pipeline, the Laurens, South Carolina native has caught fire lately with three home runs and a .346/.370/.769 slash line over the past seven games. His .405 slugging percentage overall this season represents a career high.

The Fish Stripes podcast is home to Miami Marlins shows Fish Bites, Earning Their Stripes and A-Ball with Erik Oas. All new episodes are posted to FishStripes.com/podcasts. You can also find them on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Megaphone, PlayerFM or wherever you normally get your pods.

Follow Erik Oas (@erik_oas) on Twitter and listen to all LumberKings radio broadcasts on 100.3 WCCI. Follow Fish Stripes on Twitter (@fishstripes) and visit FishStripes.com for full coverage of the Marlins farm system this season.