• The Rockies Have Traded for Nolan Jones. Now What?
There’s a new “Nolan” on the Rockies’ roster.
Nov 18, 2022
The news broke on Tuesday:
Rockies Club Information @RockiesClubInfo
In addition to trading Sam Hilliard, re-signing José Ureña, and avoiding arbitration with Dinelson Lamet, the Rockies traded for a lefty outfielder. Here’s what Eno Sarris said:
Eno Sarris @enosarrisHow intriguing — which raises two questions: Who is Nolan Jones, and what might the Rockies be thinking?
What’s His Story?
A native of Bensalem, Pennsylvania, Jones, now 24, attended Holy Ghost Preparatory School where he was a shortstop. He committed to the University of Virginia before being drafted by the Guardians in the second round of the 2016 draft and receiving a $2.25 million bonus. That’s serious money, which suggests the Guardians had big plans for Nolan Jones — and, to be fair, he was seen as one of the best hitters in the 2016 class.
After that, he worked his way through the Guardians’ farm system as a top prospect. In fact, in 2019, he led MiLB in walks with 95, and he played in both the Futures Game as well as the Arizona Fall League's Fall Stars Game. As MLB Pipeline put it, “Jones exudes patience at the plate, waiting for pitches he can hammer and taking walks if pitchers decline to challenge him.”
He missed the 2020 season (who can forget COVID?) and then had an uneven 2021: He got off to a slow start in Triple-A, but worked things out as the summer went on before suffering a high-ankle sprain in late August that required surgery and ended his season.
While all this was going on, the Guardians were moving Jones from shortstop (because a 6’5” shortstop probably isn’t going to work) to third and then a corner outfield spot given that third base is pretty much owned by José Ramírez for the foreseeable future.
After finishing 2021 in Triple-A, Jones began 2022 there and had a solid showing, with nine home runs in 248 plate appearances and a .276/.368/.463 slashline. Short version: In Triple-A, Jones showed power and plate discipline with an unsettling K% of 28.4%.
Source: Baseball Reference
Nolan Jones made his MLB debut on July 8, 2022, in a game against the Royals. It was unremarkable, and the rest of his season was mixed at best. He finished the season with a 93 wRC+ and a slashline of .244/.309/.372 in 28 games, including two home runs. But he struck out a lot — as in 33% of his plate appearances. In August, he was sent back to the Clippers, where he finished the season.
And now, he’s a Rockie.
Why would the Rockies make this trade? As Bill Schmidt told Patrick Saunders, “We liked him when he came out of high school and he’s a good athlete with some power . . . . He gives us a left-handed bat, which we needed. We are a little bit heavy from the right side. He’s a corner infielder with a strong arm and has also played some outfield.”
Added bonus: He still has a minor-league option.
How Will the Rockies Use Him?
Pretty clearly, the Rockies are trying to find that lefty-hitter Schmidt alluded to in his season-ending presser, and perhaps Nolan Jones fits that bill. Consider for a second how he would compare to the Rockies 2022 outfielders. (And remember that Jones, Toglia and Bouchard are all in small-sample-size territory, so the comparison here is not exact.)
Here’s what FanGraphs shows:
Source: FanGraphs
As measured by wRC+, Jones would have tied with Yonathan Daza for second as the Rockies’ most-valuable outfielder; his 0.2 fWAR makes him fourth most valuable. (Okay, the bar is low.) He hit two home runs in 94 plate appearances, which ties him with Toglia, Hampson, Hilliard, and Daza, all players that had more opportunities.
And get this: Jones had a 35.2% GB% — that would be the lowest of any Rockie outfielder. (Michael Toglia is next with a GB% of 37.3%.) His Barrel%? That would be 14.5%. (A Barrel % of 15 is considered elite.) No other Rockie even makes double digits in this category with Sam Hilliard coming the closest at 9.2%. Jones also had the best HardHit% at 49.1%. (Hilliard’s was 48.7%.)
Short version: If Nolan Jones can get the strikeouts under control — and that’s no small matter — he has the potential to hit with power at Coors Field, and that’s something the Rockies need. But he could also be the next Sam Hilliard.
Defensively, he had a DRS of 1 in right field, which is fine, but the arm is for real. See for yourself:
Bally Sports Cleveland @BallySportsCLE
NOLAN JONES, FOLKS‼️‼️ #ForTheLand
Can You Tell Us Something Interesting?
You know, I can. Nolan Jones was an excellent hockey center until concussion issues forced him to focus on baseball. His brother Peyton, though, continues the hockey tradition, playing four years at Penn State before being drafted by the Colorado Avalanche and playing for the Eagles. (He is currently a goaltender for the Belfast Giants.)
What’s the Future Hold Then?
That’s always a good question, and since we’re talking about the Rockies here, the future is especially murky. However, let’s assume that the Rockies intend to platoon Nolan Jones in the outfield. His splits against lefties are not good, and his high strikeout rate suggests that the Coors Effect could be a real issue. But I expect him to see regular playing time.
At this point, I’d probably hazard the Rockies outfield will be Kris Bryant (LF), Randal Grichuk and Yonathan Daza (CF), and Nolan Jones/Charlie Blackmon (RF). Let’s also not forget Brenton Doyle and Sean Bouchard in all this because they’ll be competing for spots. I expect Michael Toglia to begin 2023 in Albuquerque to get more reps in the outfield and to keep working on his swing. (Of course, the additional complicating factor in all of this is Zac Veen, a lefty outfielder, but I don’t expect to see him until mid-season.)
And another outfield trade does not seem out of the question, perhaps involving either Yonathan Daza or Randal Grichuk.
As moves go, I like this trade — and for this team, it’s a much better than signing Brandon Nimmo.
Share Rockies Pitch: A Colorado Rockies Baseball Newsletter
Accolades
- Let’s hear it for Vinny Castilla!
Colorado Rockies @RockiesCongrats to Vinny Castilla for being inducted into the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame!👏
What I’m Reading
- Thomas Harding’s “Rockies Beat, 11/15/22” (MLB.com) — Harding reviews some of the Rockies’ prospects.
- William Gregory’s “2022 Season Review: Colorado Rockies” (MSABR.com) — Gregory does not hold back.
- Zach Worden’s “Colorado Rockies Offseason Outlook” (JustBaseball.com) — Worden considers the Rockies’ options.
- “World Baseball Classic Teams to Get Spring Training Showcases” (MLB.com) — This is exciting news. On March 9, the Rockies will meet Team Mexico in Scottsdale.
Weekend Walkoff
- If there’s an athlete better at self-promotion than Peyton Manning, I’m not sure who it would be. He seems just seems so good natured and willing to try anything.
Omaha Productions @OmahaProdNow we wait for the non-tender announcements and the coming collapse of Twitter.
Thanks for reading —
Renee
@ReneeDechert (Mastadon) ★ @Renee.Dechert (Instagram)