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Yankees News: Jaron Long Making a Name for Himself in Yankees Farm System

By Michael Cambria

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There’s been a familiar name to many people inside the New York Yankees organization.

His name is Jaron Long, son of former hitting coach Kevin Long, who has been a part of the Yankeeas clubhouse since 2007, when he was 16-year old high school pitcher for Cactus Shadows High School in Cave Creek, Arizona.

With his father, after serving as the Yankees hitting coach for the past eight seasons, now working across town with the New York Mets, Jaron is trying to earn his way to the Bronx after going un-drafted out of Ohio State, signing with the Yankees for $50,000.

Jaron Long’s contract didn’t include an invite to Spring Training, but with two games last Friday, one against the Phillies down in Clearwater, Fl. and another against the Pirates in Tampa, the Yankees needed some extra arms.

After two innings pitched by Bryan Mitchell and a 50-minute rain delay down in Clearwater, Jaron ran onto the field from the first-base side dugout in the bottom of the third with his mother, Marcey Long, watching from the stands.

“It was amazing, I was so excited,’’ Marcey Long told George King III of the New York Post. “I was sitting behind home plate and I was a little nervous. I’m very proud of him, it was fun.’’

Any parent would be proud of their son pitching for the Yankees, let alone retiring the first three big league hitters he faced, even if it was just a spot start in spring training.

The 6-foot, 185-pound Long struck out Carlos Ruiz on a 3-2 pitch, got Jeff Francoeur on a weak grounder back to the mound and ended his 1-2-3 inning by getting Cord Phelps to pop out on a shallow ‘can-o-corn’ to left field during the Yankees 4-1 victory over the Phillies.

“It was the first time pitching since last September, it was good to get on the mound,’’ the 23-year-old right-hander, who went 12-5 with a 2.18 ERA at three levels of the minor leagues in 2014, told King.

In 28 games pitched, 18 of which were starts, Jaron hurled a total of 144.1 innings-pitched, allowing 124 hits while striking out an impressive 122 batters.

He finished his 2014 season with Double-A Trenton, and is likely to start the 2015 season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Keep your eye out for this kid Yankees fans!

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