Wow, Ron Jones. I remember him well and so do long time Phillie phans. He may have been one of the Top 10 Phillies pure hitting prospects I ever saw [Richie Allen was still the best I ever saw]. Jones was simply a hitting machine and I have little doubt that he would have been a perennial .300+ hitter with the Phils at a time when hitting .300 mattered!
Sadly, Jones suffered not one terrible knee injury [to his left knee] in 1990 but then suffered the same kind of injury to his right knee in 1991 and was basically finished as a player. And both injuries were so sad since they were both so completely avoidable.
I saw both of them happen. Anyone who ever criticized Bobby Abreu for not diving for balls or running into fences never saw Jones play. The first injury occurred in late April at Shea Stadium in a game the Phils were winning 7-1 in the 9th inning with 1 out. The Mets batter hit a ball to the right field wall and Jones made an astounding diving, rolling catch...but tore up his knee in the process and was gone for the year. I recall thinking then,,,just let the ball hit the ball, for goodness sakes, you are up 6 runs.
Jones came back in 1991 and, as was his wont, began the season hitting well albeit with a limp. Then in May against the Astros at Veterans Stadium, a Stros batter hit a single to right field that took a strange and high bounce off the turf. The bounce caused Jones, who was coming in to get the ball on a bounce, to leap awkwardly for the hit. He landed on his right knee, shattering it. He crumpled in pain, I crumpled in frustration, and the possibly great career of Ron Jones was over.
He played again but was never the same. The Phils have had more than their share of young outfielders with great talent who got injured and were never the same. Mike Anderson comes to mind. In the early 70's the Phils had 3 of the best young hitting prospects in baseball...Mike Schmidt, Greg Luzinski and Mike Anderson. Scouts said Anderson was the best.
He got beaned in the head in '71 or '72 and though he came and made the majors scouts said he was never the same. He is often overlooked when people discuss former Phillie right fielders with outstanding arms. Johnny Callison, Bobby Abreu and Kenny Walters come to mind. Anderson's was better, so good in fact that he became a pitcher late in his career.
