PITTSBURGH — Now that Garrett Jones has reached the major leagues, his goal is to stay there.

The right fielder-first baseman, who turns 29 on June 21, wants his name linked with the Pirates, not with Joe Charboneau or Kevin Maas.

In fact, only Maas made an impact on a big league roster in the fashion that Jones did with the Pirates last summer.

Jones didn't play for the Bucs until July 1, but he wound up hitting 21 homers in 314 at-bats.

Maas is the only other player in baseball history to hit more than 20 homers in a major league season without homering before July. He did so with the Yankees in 1990.

"Once I got called up, I was going to relax and make the most of it," Jones said. "I waited a long time for that."

Charboneau hit 23 homers, drove in 87 and batted .289 for Cleveland as a 25-year-old rookie in 1980. He was out of the majors two years later.

Maas never did anything else noteworthy after his initial splash, either.

Jones insists he's not cut from the same cloth.

"I've shortened my swing over time, made it more compact," he said. "I'm not just a power hitter. I feel like I'm a young 28 with a lot more years to play."

Signed as a minor-league free agent by the Pirates in late December 2008, Jones began last season at Class AAA Indianapolis. He hit .307 with 12 homers and 49 RBI in 72 games there, forcing the Pirates to give him a shot.

Once given a chance to play, he hit so well that the Pirates couldn't take him out of the lineup.

"That was the plan," Jones said, smiling.

He wound up hitting .293 for Pittsburgh, producing 21 doubles and stealing 10 bases despite a 6-foot-4, 230-pound frame.

Jones figures prominently in the Pirates' 2010 plans. If rookie power-hitting prospect Jeff Clement — acquired in the Jack Wilson trade with Seattle — nails down the first base job, Jones will be in right field.

If Clement goes to AAA, Jones returns to first base.

"First base is my primary position, but I've played enough in the outfield the past few years that I'm comfortable there, too," Jones said.

The bottom line: Garrett Jones just wants to play.

He was seemingly lost in two other organizations before landing with the Pirates.

Jones was drafted out of high school by the Atlanta Braves in the 14th round in 1999. He was released three years later — at Jones' request.

"That was a loaded farm system," Jones said. "Guys were moving up and I kept getting passed by. I was just sitting there. I was getting lost in that organization and asked for my release to go try someplace else."

Minnesota signed Jones as a minor-league free agent three days later and he spent seven years with the Twins organization, getting some big league time in 2007. He hit .208 with two homers in 77 at-bats.

With Class AAA Rochester in 2008, Jones led the International League with 138 games played and 267 total bases. He hit .279 with 23 homers and 92 RBI.

"But I was a first baseman and they had Justin Morneau," Jones said. "I became a minor-league free agent again. When you're in that situation, you're looking for as much money as you can get, of course.

"But I was also looking for a chance to crack a big league roster and be able to play a little bit. Pittsburgh looked like the best opportunity. They signed Eric Hinske two weeks later and it looked like I'd be stuck in Triple-A again."

Hinske was traded in June, Jones was called up and brought a hot bat with him.

He hit 158 home runs in the minor leagues. Now he wants to build on his major league totals.

"I'm excited about seeing what I can do over a full season," Jones said. "I know I can improve on last year. Like our team, I feel like I've got a lot of upside."