GREENVILLE, Pa. – After more than 20 years at the major league level as both a manager and player, Lynn Jones '74 has returned to Thiel College and will join the baseball staff for the upcoming 2013 season.
 
Jones, the second Tomcat to be drafted and the first to reach the major leagues, was drafted in the 10^th round of the 1974 MLB draft by the Cincinnati Reds. He reached the big leagues with the Detroit Tigers on April 13, 1979, going 2-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in his debut in center field, a 5-4 loss to the Texas Rangers.
 
He played eight MLB seasons, making just eight errors in the outfield while compiling six double plays - including 1981 when he led the American League in double plays turned by a right fielder (2). He collected 239 hits while playing for the Tigers and Royals, and went 2-for-3 with a double and a triple in six games in the 1985 World Series against St. Louis, helping Kansas City win its first World Series championship.
 
He began managing in 1990, becoming the first base coach for the Kansas City Royals. He spent the next nine seasons as the manager of several minor league clubs, compiling an overall record of 555-630 (.468). His Kane County Cougars of the Midwest League, a Florida Marlins affiliate, reached the postseason twice during his tutelage (1995, 1997). Jones was particularly successful in his stint with the Cougars as he is second all-time for managerial wins with 275 and was apart of the Marlins organization when they won their first World Series in 1997.
 
Jones was called up to the big leagues once again in 2001, joining the then-Florida Marlins as their first base coach. A year later, he returned to the minor league level as the manager of the Macon Braves for the 2002 season before joining the Boston Red Sox in 2003. During his three seasons with the Red Sox, Jones coached the outfielders, was the base running coach and was the first base coach in 2004 when the Red Sox broke the “curse of the Bambino” and won the World Series for the first time in 86 years.
 
In 2006, Jones rejoined the team who drafted him out of Thiel in 1974, the Cincinnati Reds, for the '06 and '07 seasons as the outfield/base running/roving instructor before spending three seasons with the Atlanta Braves in the same capacity.
 
“This is a huge addition for us at Thiel,” head coach Joe Schaly said.  “Bringing back an alumnus like Lynn who has a wealth of professional experience and baseball knowledge is not only valuable to our team, but our coaching staff as well.”