Mr. Jones, Are You For Real?

Hype is a funny thing. As is rooting for the Pittsburgh Pirates

As Pirate fans, we're forced to do two very contradictory things.

1. Remain hopeful, and therefore sane. If you don't have any hope, then there's really no reason to be a Pirate Fan at the moment. And hope is really the only way to convince yourself that you're simultaneously a pirate fan and sane.

2. Deny large hype-->aka we can't get our hopes up, because that will ultimately lead to drastic disappointment, and therefore a downfall, due to not being able to accomplish the aforementioned task 1.

These two tasks beg the question at the present moment-->what do we do with Garrett Jones?

Our Dear Mr. Jones has only played in 12 games for the Pirates. Yet in these 12 games, he's managed to hit 7 home runs. In the past 4 games, he's hit 4 Home Runs. That includes last night, when he hit 2 HRs, one walkoff, that counted for the Pirates only runs.

But you know this.

What you don't know, is whether beginners luck has teased us Pirate Fans yet again.

Well Pirate Hopefuls, I'm here to announce that I know for a fact that...................

he has potential!

I know, classic answer, but really, there's no way to tell if Jones will be able to develop into a true power hitter in the league. The truth right now, is that pitchers just haven't figured him out yet and/or are underestimating him, and Jonesy is taking full advantage of that.

Andrew McCutchen did the same thing, with much less power but more hits, when he went on his 11 game hit streak. Then he struggled for a while after pitchers picked up a little more on him. I think we're seeing Cutch come out of that cycle unscathed and ready to grow even more, but there's no telling if Garret Jones will do the same.

As of right now, i'm going to enjoy is slugger streak; he's certainly earned his starting job, and will perhaps provide some competition for Brandon Moss. But i'm not going to act like I don't hope he develops into a Nate McLouth type contributor. And i'm not going to assume that as fact either.

Because I'm a pirate fan.