During the Florida State League Mid-Season Classic on June 15th, I got a close up view on the Charlotte Stone Crabs All Star third baseman, Jim Haley, a 19th round pick in the 2016 MLB Amateur Draft, who has worked his way through the Tampa Bay Rays system showcasing his skills along the way.
A Penn State baseball standout, Haley started his professional career with the Hudson Valley Renegades (Class-A Short Season) and in 65 games he batted .285, with 27 runs, seven doubles, three triples, a home run and 19 RBI’s, spanning 246 at bats. For his successful season, he was named to the Mid-Season All Star team.
In just his third pro game, Haley recorded his first multi-hit game of his career as he went 3 for 5, with double. He went on that season to have 22 multi-games, five of which were 3-hit games.
In 2017, the Lansdowne, PA native jumped two levels to start the season with the Charlotte Stone Crabs (Class-A Advanced) and ended with the Bowling Green Hot Rods (Class-A Full Season) and combined he batted .267, with 17 runs scored, 10 doubles, a home run and 30 RBIs in 225 at bats. His accolades on the season included a 4-hit game for the Stone Crabs and two 3-hit games for the Hot Rods.
Jim Haley connects at the FSL ASG HR Derby.
For the 2018 season, Haley remained with the Hot Rods and had his best offensive output since he started pro ball, as he batted .323, with 47 runs, 22 doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 47 RBIs in 300 at bats, spanning 80 games. He had a 10-game hit streak earlier in the season and then did one better with a 16-game hit streak in August.
Spending the full season with the Hot Rods in 2018, prepared Haley for a big 2019 season with the Stone Crabs and it showed as he was selected and started in the League’s All Star game.
So far in 2019, and as of games through June 22nd, Haley is batting .299, with 37 runs scored, 12 doubles, a triple, six home runs and 42 RBIs.
Back in May, he had four straight multi-hit games and twice so far this season he has had seven game hit streaks. Since the break he is batting .285 (6 for 21), with four runs scored, two RBIs and two walks through six games.
Haley may not be one of the Rays Top 30 Prospects, but with a knack for putting the bat on the ball, and able to play every position on the field minus catching, I would recommend keeping an eye on this young man as he will continue to showcase his talents at every level that he is promoted to.
David Conde
David is the Co-Founder and Executive Editor of Legends On Deck®, as well as a Co-Host on Legends On Deck Podcast. David was a Senior Editor for MetsMerizedOnline.com, MetsMinors.net and Contributor for Hardballchat.com that spanned from 2010 to 2014. David made his MLB Debut as a writer in June 2014, while covering the NY Mets at Citi Field, for MetsmerizedOnline.com. David also coaches baseball for ages 13-15, a Babe Ruth League team in his local community. David's passion is coaching the game he loves to the future Legends of Tomorrow as well as making available a website that people can have fun sharing and reading. David is also passionate about his career as a Mortgage Loan Officer which allows him to help many families reach their dreams of owning a home. Connect with David via his Social Media pages as he loves to chat all about baseball.
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