May 1, 2025
Cleveland Guardians outfielders
Nolan Jones and
Angel Martinez are both getting a day off on Thursday against the division-rival Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field.
Jhonkensy Noel is starting in right field and batting fifth, while
Daniel Schneemann gets the start in center field and is hitting out of the six-hole against Twins right-hander
Simeon Woods Richardson. Jones is hitting just .171 (12-for-70) on the year with a homer, five RBI and two steals, so it's possible the 26-year-old left-handed hitter could start losing more playing time against right-handed pitching. Martinez is hitting .333 (19-for-57) but hasn't homered and has only five RBI. The Dominican outfielder has seen most of the playing time in center with
Lane Thomas (wrist) on the injured list. Noel and Schneemann have faced Woods Richardson a combined seven times and haven't recorded a single hit.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
April 28, 2025
Cleveland Guardians outfielder
Nolan Jones went 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI in his team's 11-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox. He also drew a walk and struck out. It was Jones' first long ball of the season, and the three RBIs brought him up to five to match his run total. The former second-round pick has had a dreadful start to the year, batting .190 (12-for-63) with five doubles and two steals across 24 appearances. Despite the lack of statistical output, the 26-year-old holds a strong 14.9% walk rate and is hitting the ball incredibly hard. Jones' average exit velocity (96.3 MPH) and hard-hit rate (65%) are the best figures in the bigs. Furthermore, it appears he's having some bad BABIP luck (.244 xBA). With batted ball metrics like this, the home runs should begin to fall as he sees some positive regression.
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
March 24, 2025
MLB.com's Tim Stebbins writes that the bulk of Cleveland Guardians new outfielder
Nolan Jones' at-bats this year are expected to come in right field against right-handed pitchers. After the Guardians acquired Jones from the Colorado Rockies on Saturday, they also optioned left-handed-hitter
Will Brennan to Triple-A Columbus.
Jhonkensy Noel is expected to get starts in right field when Cleveland faces left-handed pitchers. The 26-year-old Jones, who was previously selected by the Guardians in the second round in 2016, is moving from the best hitter's park in baseball in Coors Field to Progressive Field, which actually played very favorably to lefty hitters in 2024. He hit 20 homers and stole 20 bags in 106 games in 2023 before slumping to a .227/.321/.320 slash line and only three homers in 79 games in an injury-plagued 2024 campaign. If Jones can avoid injuries in his return to Cleveland, a bounce-back could be coming.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Tim Stebbins
March 22, 2025
Colorado Rockies outfielder
Nolan Jones has been traded to the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday. Jones was scratched ahead of Saturday's contest, so now that makes sense why he was benched. The 26-year-old will head to Cleveland in exchange for infielder
Tyler Freeman. The Guardians can't be exactly sure what they will be getting with Jones. He put together an outstanding 2023 season with a .297 batting average, 20 home runs, and 20 stolen bases in 106 games. However, Jones was awful in 2024, hitting only .227 with three homers and five steals with the Rockies. Jones has a strong arm in the outfield, but his defense isn't exactly stellar right now. It's worth noting that Jones began his career in Cleveland, so now it appears they want him back after two seasons in Colorado.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Passan
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