ATL
Nolan Jones, OF
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Scouting report
A high school shortstop who has almost exclusively been a third baseman in pro ball, Jones played first base and both outfield corners during Fall instructs. Defensive versatility is valuable on its own, and this was also a logical trial given Cleveland's situation at the corner spots. Carlos Santana has departed, the club's outfield was below replacement level in 2020, and one of the better hitters on the planet is already the club's third sacker. But regardless of the circumstance, there is a contingent of scouts who think Jones has already outgrown third base. He's stretched two additional (listed) inches since high school and now stands in at a long-legged 6-foot-4. Though his ridiculous arm enables him to make some tough plays, Jones' size has an impact on his defensive footwork and mobility. But ultimately, it doesn't really matter where Jones plays, because he has a special offensive skill set that will likely profile anywhere. Not only does he have big raw power, but Jones has perhaps the best strike zone discipline in the entire minor leagues. He ran a 20% walk rate across a 100-game sample as a 21-year-old at Hi-A, then posted a 14.7% rate at Double-A (he had turned 22 by then) to wrap up 2019. Jones has the highest walk rate (17.9%) the last two years among minor leaguers who have reached at least Double-A, and there are only five other hitters his age or younger who are within three percentage points of him. That patience combined with high-end raw power (he has the fourth-highest max exit velo among prospects on The Board) that Jones hasn't yet totally tapped into should enable him to be a cleanup-hitting force. There's some platoon-y, strikeout risk here. Jones struck out a lot his short Double-A trial and then in the 2019 Arizona Fall League. He's not good against left-handed pitching and will need to be dropped in the lineup against lefties, and sometimes come off the bench. But again, Jones has elite feel for the zone and huge power. His skillset is a scaled down version of Adam Dunn's or Joey Gallo's, and quite similar to Pat Burrell's (other than the handedness). (Alternate site, Fall Instructional League)