He wasn’t a star in high school but tiny Jericho College offered him a scholarship.  He began to blossom in college and ended his senior year hitting over .400.  When the Springfield Puzzle Pieces called in round three, Danny Jones could already see himself standing in the outfield at Autism Awareness park wearing the the puzzle piece on his uniform.

It all came crashing down Thursday night when he dove for a fly ball in the seventh inning of Nixa’s 4-2 loss.  As he started his dive, Jones slipped in the wet grass and landed flush on his right arm to completely blow out his rotator cuff and end any chance of becoming a major league player.

“It’s sad any time someone loses a chance to make the show because of an injury,” Nixa manager Scoot McBean said.  “But to lose it on such a fluke like that.  I think this is the worst I’ve ever felt in 23 years of professional baseball.”

Jones had just moved to AAA Nixa at the start of this season after spending the last three years at AA Ozark.  He was hitting in the .170s but had started to show signs of life in his bat that gave him batting averages over .300 for all levels of the minors until this season.

“His defense was simply outstanding,” McBean added.  “That guy covered more ground than anyone I’ve ever coached.”

The Springfield organization has said they will be paying for all surgeries and medical followups for Jones.

“We’ll make sure he’s taken care of,” team owner Jason Wert said.

After the injury, Jones returned to his wife and two young sons in Chillicothe, Ohio.   Jones’ father owns a tire shop in Chillicothe where his son would work in the off-season.  While nothing has been officially said from the Jones’ camp about his future plans, the business’s sign has been changed to read “Jones & Sons Tires.”