When Nolan Jones had a 20-20 season with a .297/.389/.542 line in 2023 with the Colorado Rockies after landing there via a trade with the Cleveland Guardians, people thought they were looking at a future star.
Then he struggled with a 69 wRC+ in 2024.
The Guardians re-acquired him ahead of the 2025 season, hoping he would bounce back to 2023 levels.
It didn’t happen, though, and he had plenty of chances: the 403 plate appearances he got were way more than he deserved given his 72 wRC+.
And he knows it, because he admitted that he didn’t think he would be back with the Guardians in 2026.
“I didn’t think it was gonna happen,” Jones told MLB.com about the Guardians bringing him back for 2026. “I’ve been terrible the last two years. I know I had a good rookie year [in 2023], but I’ve been really bad the last two years. After what I did last year and [given] the young talent that we have here, I didn’t see myself fitting in here. Obviously, I couldn’t be happier to be back and get a second chance to make right what I believe that I’m capable of.”
Jones is right in virtually everything he said.
He knows he underachieved in the last two campaigns, but he is also aware he has the talent to be much, much better.
It’s all about plate discipline.
We all know he has raw power and is quite speedy for a guy his size.
However, he needs to find a way to make more and better contact, as his 29.6 percent career strikeout rate is just too high.
He managed to lower that number from 30.6 percent in 2024 to 28 percent last year, but had the isolated power (ISO) of a utility infielder: .093.
Jones is being given a chance to make the Opening Day roster, but he has to beat Johnathan Rodriguez and Angel Martinez just to get a bench spot in the outfield.
Even Petey Halpin, who will get a long look this spring, could be ahead of him.
Odds are against Jones, but it’s certainly not impossible to see him resurface if he can approach his 2023 performance level.
At least Jones is mature enough to know that, in MLB, you don’t play if you don’t perform.
NEXT: Guardians Given Unfortunate Batting Lineup Report Card
