Former NFL prospect taken in baseball draft
Chad Jones, whose budding pro football career was halted by an injury, continued his comeback in another sport when he was taken in the ninth round of the Major League Baseball draft on Friday.
Jones, 24, was selected as a safety by the NFL's New York Giants in 2010. But he was cut by the Giants and gave up football, mainly because of serious injuries sustained in a car crash that nearly cost him his leg.
Jones, a two-sport star at LSU, gave up football to focus on baseball. And this is the third time he's been taken in the baseball draft.
He was taken in the 13th round by the Astros in 2007 and the 50th round by the Brewers in 2010. This year, the Cincinnati Reds took him in the ninth round.
Going from football to baseball is not the only change Jones made. He started out as an outfielder for LSU, but later became a pitcher. He was a relief pitcher for the Tigers during their 2009 College World Series championship.
In other draft news, Joe Jackson, a descendent of Shoeless Joe Jackson, was among the players with name-recognition lineage who were taken in the second day of the draft.
The first two rounds were held Thursday, rounds three through 10 were held Friday and the remaining picks in the 40-round draft will be made Saturday.
Jackson, a catcher at The Citadel, was a fifth-round pick of the Texas Rangers. Jackson is the great grandson of the Joe Jackson who was a .356 career hitter and played on the 1919 Chicago White Sox team that was the subject of the movie and book, "Eight Men Out."
---Atlanta Braves general manager Frank Wren picked his son, Kyle, in the eighth round. An outfielder out of Georgia Tech, Kyle Wren had been previously drafted by the Reds and Tigers, but did not sign with either.
--- Third baseman Dylan Manwaring was selected by the Braves in the ninth round. He's the son of Kirt Manwaring, who caught for 13 seasons in the majors.
---Right-handed pitcher Luke Farrell, the son of Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell, was chosen in the sixth round by the Kansas City Royals. He pitched for Northwestern this past season.
--- Second baseman L.J. Mazzilli, the son of former major leaguer Lee Mazzilli, was drafted in the fourth round by the Mets, an improvement over being a ninth-round pick last year by the Twins.
---Outfielder Jacob May, son of former first-round pick Lee May Jr., and the grandson of former Major Leaguer Lee May, was taken in the third round by the Chicago White Sox. Jacob May's uncle, Carlos May, spent several seasons with the White Sox.
----The New York Yankees drafted Michael O'Neill, a University of Michigan outfielder and the nephew of former Yankee Paul O'Neill, with the 97th overall pick.
---Second baseman Kean Wong, younger brother of Cardinals prospect and former first-round pick Kolten Wong, was taken by the Rays at No. 128.
---Catcher Chad Wallach, son of Tim Wallach, was selected in the fifth round by the Miami Marlins. Chris Wallach played at Cal State Fullerton.
The Astros made North Carolina left-hander Kent Emanuel the first pick of the second day, while Jon Denney, listed as the No. 20 prospect in the draft by MLB.com, was taken by the Boston Red Sox with the No. 81 overall pick.
The Phillies took outfielder Cord Sandberg with the 89th pick, but has a football scholarship to play quarterback at Mississippi State, so he may be difficult to sign.
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