Southern League (AA)

Alumni playing in the Southern League: 2
Most Numerous Team: Mississippi Braves, Tennessee Smokies (1)

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Clevenger continued to impress in the Chicago Cubs organization as he awaits his shot at the Bigs. In 88 games for the Class-AA Tennessee Smokies in 2010, Clevenger hit .317/.367/.461 with 86 hits, including 24 doubles and five home runs to earn Mid-Season All-Star honors in the Southern League. He drove in 47 runs and scored 37. Clevenger continued to show remarkable batting discipline, walking 20 times to just 28 strikeouts. The catcher finished the season on a modest three-game hitting streak, including a three-double game on September 3. The week before, Clevenger was named the Player of the Week in the Southern League.

Clevenger tore up Double-A pitching for the Tennessee Smokies of the Southern League before earning a promotion to AAA Iowa of the Pacific Coast League. For Tennessee, Clevenger hit .364 (28-for-77), with four doubles, three triples, and a home run. He drove in 10 runs and scored 12 in 26 games. He reached base at an impressive .443 clip and posted an OPS of .976. After the promotion, Clevenger cooled a bit, hitting .265/.309/.326 with 61 hits in 68 games, including 12 doubles and a triple. He drove in 26 runs for the Cubs and scored 21. The converted catcher walked 25 times to 39 strikeouts in 2009 and stole four of seven bases. Before the season, Clevenger was included Baseball America's list of the top NL prospects not to be included in their organizational Top 10 lists.

Clevenger played for the Mesa Solar Sox in the prestigious Arizona Fall League, where he has walked and scored a run in his first seven at-bats. The catcher hit a combined .298 for the Daytona Cubs of the Class-A Florida State League and the Tennessee Smokies of the Class-AA Southern League in 2008. Clevenger collected 89 hits for the Cubs, including 20 doubles and two home runs. He drove in 39 runs and scored 36 in 84 games, while swiping seven bases. For the Smokies, Clevenger went 22-for-89 (.247) with five doubles, a triple, a home run, 15 RBI, and five runs scored. Clevenger also walked 49 times and struck out just 51 times in 2008.

In 2007, Clevenger earned a promotion to the Daytona Cubs midway through the season. After hitting .373 with nine doubles and posting a .880 OPS in 22 for the Boise Hawks of the Class-A Short Season Northwest League, Clevenger hit .323 in 43 games for the Cubs. Clevenger collected 53 hits in 164 at-bats for the Cubs, including 8 doubles, a triple, and two home runs. He knocked in 24 runs and scored 21. Perhaps most importantly, the catcher struck out just five times (and just 11 times total in 2007).

In 2006, Steve hit .286 in 220 at-bats for the Hawks. He collected 63 hits, including eight doubles, a triple, and two home runs. He scored 35 runs and knocked in 21. He also stole five bases.

Jones spent considerable time in two stops in 2010 and finished the season at a third, the Mississippi Braves of the Class-AA Southern League. Jones collected 52 hits in 199 at-bats (.261) for the Rome Braves of the Class-A South Atlantic League. He doubled 12 times and hit six home runs, driving in 34 runs and scoring 27 for Rome in 53 games. After a promotion to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the Class-A Advanced Carolina League, Jones added 74 more hits to his totals, including 19 more doubles, a triple, and seven more homers. For the Class-AA Mississippi Braves, Jones went 6-for-30 with a triple and two home runs. Overall, Jones hit 31 doubles and 15 home runs, drove in 61 runs and scored 83 in 2010. He walked 43 times to 123 strikeouts, and stole 22 bases in 29 attempts.

Getting used to the word "Braves" across his chest, Jones played 64 games for the Danville Braves after signing with the parent club following the 2009 Draft (after playing for the Herndon Braves in 2008). Baseball America's ''Best Athlete'' among Braves prospects, Jones collected 63 hits in 244 at-bats (.258), including 18 doubles (fifth most in the league), six triples (tied for most in the league), and four home runs. The speedster stole 19 bases, scored a league-best 50 runs, and drove in 27. He walked 26 times to 55 strikeouts.