By Tim Clinton
Four athletes from Federal Way whose first names start with the letter "J" are leaving their marks right now in professional sports.
They are Jaden, Jalen, Janson and Jeff.
We have Jaden and Jalen McDaniels playing in the National Basketball Association and Janson Junk and Jeff Brigham in Major League Baseball spring training camps.
The McDaniels both hail from Federal Way High School, while Junk is a Decatur graduate and Brigham comes from Thomas Jefferson.
Jaden McDaniels played one season with the University of Washington before being drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He is seeing regular action as a 23 year old this year, averaging 10.3 points per game along with 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists.
He is in his fourth season with the Timberwolves.
Jalen McDaniels was drafted after two seasons of college ball at San Diego State by the Charlotte Hornets.
He is currently with the Toronto Raptors.
The 6-foot, 9-inch center/forward is averaging 3.0 points per game along with 1.5 rebounds and 0.6 assists.
He is now 26 and spent three full years with the Hornets before splitting time between there and Philadelphia last year.
Junk has also seen limited playing time in his top tier career -- for the baseball Los Angeles Angels and Milwaukee Brewers.
He has made nine appearances in the Majors, including seven starts, with a 1-3 record and an earned run average of 4.78 over three years.
Junk, 28, is currently in camp on the Brewers' 40 man roster.
He was reportedly eyeing a pitching job in Japan before spring training started.
The 32 year old Brigham just signed a minor league deal with a camp invitation for the Minnesota Twins.
His career started with the Miami Marlins before taking him to the New York Mets on his way to Minnesota.
Brigham, now a reliever after being a starter early in his career, has appeared in 90 Major League games. He has posted a combined record of 4-10 with two saves and a 4.76 ERA.
He made 37 appearances for the Mets last year, going 1-3, 5.26 with 42 strikeouts in 37.2 innings.
For Miami in 2022 he was 0-1, 3.38 with one save.
He spent parts of four seasons with Miami over five years.
Aside from having the letter "J" in common, all four players list Federal Way as their place of birth.
Maybe it's something in the water at St. Francis Hospital.
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