Cleveland Guardians’ recent trade acquisition, Nolan Jones, is currently hitting .200 with a .627 OPS and no homers, RBI, or stolen bases in the young 2025 season.
On Tuesday, he wore the infamous golden sombrero, which means he struck out four times in the same game.
Yet he and the Guardians know this is a marathon, not a sprint.
In the next game, against the same San Diego Padres, Jones went 2-for-4 with a double.
In baseball, you have got to have a short memory.
Jones, re-acquired by Cleveland in the final few days of spring training in exchange for utilityman Tyler Freeman, was drafted and developed by the Guardians in the second half of the 2010s.
Manager Stephen Vogt is certainly happy to have him on his team and is confident he will get going soon.
He is a fan of his approach.
“We all know Nolan can play,” Vogt told MLB.com. “It’s nice to see him getting comfortable with us. … I really like Nolan’s approach. He hits the ball hard, great plate discipline. We just want him to continue to be himself and get comfortable.”
Jones has struck out seven times so far, but he has also worked a couple of walks.
In his breakout 2023 in Colorado, his OBP was a cool .389.
He has that power-patience profile that teams covet these days.
But he is also sneaky fast: in 2023, he homered 20 times and also stole 20 bags.
His teammates also see that his work ethic and energy are top-notch.
“Dude’s a gamer and ready to go,” pitcher Ben Lively said. “He’s been fired up the whole time he’s been here. It’s cool because it fires me up.”
So far, Jones is settling in nicely in Cleveland.
If he is healthy, the numbers will follow.
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