We wouldn’t be breaking any news if we told you that Cleveland Guardians outfielder Nolan Jones is not off to a particularly good start at the plate.
Entering Tuesday, he was hitting .156/.278/.260 with a 58 wRC+.
On Monday, Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt praised his plate discipline despite the awful stats and implied that good things could happen if he were able to manage the strike zone like he knows how to do it.
Then, on Tuesday against the Washington Nationals, Jones enjoyed what could be a breakout game if he follows it up with several more of these.
For starters, he hit a 422-foot home run.
“Stephen Vogt was asked about Nolan Jones last night: “He knows the strike zone really well and his plate discipline is probably one of his best tools. When he gets ahold of it, it goes.” Jones with a solo blast in the 2nd that goes 422 feet into the second deck. 2-1 CLE,” Guardians insider Joe Noga posted on X.
Stephen Vogt was asked about Nolan Jones last night: "He knows the strike zone really well and his plate discipline is probably one of his best tools. When he gets ahold of it, it goes."
Jones with a solo blast in the 2nd that goes 422 feet into the second deck. 2-1 CLE. pic.twitter.com/9edsz11REh— Joe Noga (@JoeNogaCLE) May 6, 2025
Here is Jones’ mammoth blast:
Nolan Jones puts the @CleGuardians ahead with a rocket to the right field seats 🚀 pic.twitter.com/QAAO9PjZKU
— MLB (@MLB) May 6, 2025
Then, he made another solid contact that almost left the yard.
“Nolan Jones missed a second homer by a few feet. Settles for a double high off the wall in right-center. He’s smacking the ball today,” team reporter Tim Stebbins wrote.
Nolan Jones missed a second homer by a few feet. Settles for a double high off the wall in right-center. He's smacking the ball today.
— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) May 6, 2025
He went 2-for-4 with a double, a homer, and a steal before being replaced.
We all know that Jones can hit the ball hard.
The key for him is cutting down on his strikeouts.
His 33.3 percent strikeout rate is not ideal.
Yes, he can walk (career-high 14.4 percent walk rate before the game) but he won’t scratch his considerable ceiling unless he can reduce the Ks.
He did on Tuesday and the results speak for themselves.
NEXT: Guardians Get Encouraging Injury Update About Top Prospect
