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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Former Thorsby High School pitcher Tanner Jones had his No. 4 Rebels’ jersey retired by the school earlier this January following his selection in the 2024 MLB Draft. Jones was recognized for making the big leagues at the 2025 Chilton County Basketball Tournament and was accompanied by high school coaches Drew Wood and Billy Jackson. He is the first athlete at Thorsby to have their jersey retired, to the knowledge of the staff, adding to his list of firsts for the school’s athletic programs.

“He loves the game, he loves to play it and it is what he loves to do more than anything else,” Wood said. “He has always worked hard; his parents are good people and they pushed him and he is the kind of player that was a pleasure to coach.”

Jones was selected No.167 overall by the Kansas City Royals in last year’s MLB draft in the sixth round out of Texas A&M University. The right-handed pitcher made the big leagues after his junior season in College Station, Texas.

“I have been dreaming of this since I was four years old, so this is a longtime dream come true, but now the work has just begun,” Jones said following the draft last summer.

Wood, current Thorsby head coach and Jones’ coach during his time with the Rebels, said the coaching staff could tell Jones was different than other players just by the way he threw the ball and the way it came off of his bat. Wherever they put him on the field he excelled, whether it was on the mound, behind the plate or in the batter’s box. Jones had the ability to make his teammates better around him as well.

“He made us better as a team any time he was on the field for us, that was for sure,” Wood said. “We are proud of him, and it makes us (as coaches) feel good that we are doing the right things if we are having kids enjoy it that much and want to make it a profession. We feel lucky having him represent Thorsby.”

Jones grew up in Chilton County playing baseball, attended Thorsby and quickly became a standout pitcher for the Rebels. He was a huge Derek Jeter fan growing up, but his favorite team throughout middle and high school was the St. Louis Cardinals, one of the Kansas City Royals’ biggest rivals.

Jones was a multiple time All-State selection and graduated from Thorsby in 2021. He is the first and only student athlete from the school to sign with an NCAA Division I program, choosing Jacksonville State University to continue his baseball career. He spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at Jacksonville State compiling 127 strikeouts in 131 and one-third innings across both seasons.

Jones entered the transfer portal after the 2023 baseball season and was ranked as the No. 86 transfer for the 2024 season by D1Baseball.com. He chose Texas A&M for his junior season and immediately became a weekend starter for the Aggies going 3-1 in 2024 with 48 and one-third innings pitched and a 6.33 ERA. He had 47 strikeouts in his lone season with the Aggies, and a season-high eight against the University of Rhode Island.

Jones spent some time with the ACL Royals in the Arizona Complex League for rookie ball to start his professional career, and will report to Royals spring training in Surprise, Arizona next month.