Former Mussel Merit Jones named Florida State League Pitcher of the Month for July
Mighty Mussels’ Merit Jones named Florida State League Pitcher of the Month
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels right-hander Merit Jones has been named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Month for July 2026, as announced today by the offices of Minor League Baseball.
Jones recorded a 0.73 ERA with 30 strikeouts across 24.2 innings of work. In six appearances (three starts) the 2025 14th rounder went 3-0 while allowing just two earned runs on 21 hits and eight walks. He led the league in innings pitched (24.2), ERA (0.73) and wins (three) and was second in strikeouts (30) and strikeouts per nine innings (10.95). He did not allow an earned run over his last four outings (18.0 innings).
During that streak, Jones went 16 innings without allowing any run, earned or unearned. That scoreless streak is the second longest in the Mussels’ era (since 2020) behind Osiris German who went 20.2 IP (2021). Including his outing on August 2, Jones went 19 innings in-between earned runs allowed, the fourth longest streak in modern franchise history.
Jones’ big month earned him a promotion to High-A on Monday, Aug. 3. Prior to that promotion, Jones had 101 strikeouts on the season, the most in the Mussels’ era. Jones totaled 93.2 IP on the season, the second most in modern franchise history. He led the FSL in innings this season while his strikeout total ranked third.
Jones becomes the fourth Mighty Mussels player to earn a Pitcher/Player of the Month Award (tracked since 2022) and the second this season, joining catcher Ryan Sprock who earned the hardware in June. The most recent Pitcher of the Month was Adrian Bohorquez in July 2025.