For Jones, the pen is as mighty as the bat

DENVER -- Nolan Jones' writings were popular at Coors Field on Saturday, fans at a record crowd at Rockies Fest delighting in seeking his autograph.

But Jones’ more thoughtful writings could have an even greater impact.

Jones turned hot late last season, ending 2023 with a .297 batting average, 20 home runs, 20 stolen bases, 62 RBIs in 106 games and finishing fourth in National League Rookie of the Year voting. As he began getting his footing in the Majors, Jones began keeping a journal.

Jones, 25, didn’t just write. He read, too. After his rookie season, he read his autobiography, one that documented a season that started with two months at Triple-A Albuquerque but ended with him as Colorado's starting left fielder and one of the game’s top young stars. Maybe that type of homework will allow continued ascension in 2024.

“I could never have dreamed of last year going the way it went for me,” Jones said. “So I wanted to reflect, sit down and write my thoughts, my feelings in the last couple of weeks of the season, to kind of remember those feelings.”

The Rockies finished with the worst record in their history (59-103) but began emphasizing their younger players who could accelerate in 2024. Jones, one of those young players, believes his self-authored pamphlet will help him improve.

Jones joined the Rockies in a trade with the Guardians in November 2022 and admittedly put so much pressure on himself during Spring Training in '23 that his parents, Regina and Tom Jones, reminded him to have fun. He was called up in late April but never appeared in a game. He earned another call-up, but at times needed to remind himself that he belonged at the top level.

Somehow, writing his way through it all helped ease his mind.

“I go 4-for-4 and it’s like, ‘This is the best I’ve ever felt,’” Jones said. “And then the next day, I come into the batting cage and it’s like I don’t even know what I’m holding in my hands. It feels like a foreign object. Writing down my thoughts and my feelings helped me get back to my 4-for-4-day feelings quicker.

“It’s really hard as a younger player, believing that you belong in the big leagues. You get in the box against Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander -- these guys with such great pasts and such awesome resumes. But something I did really well last year was that I believed that I was better than them. And so that's something that I constantly wrote down and that's something that I try and read and remember that like every single day: I'm going and I'm the best player on the field.”

But Jones pens more than self-affirmations.

At 6-foot-4 with a long, graceful stride, Jones can’t help but impact games with his glove in the outfield. Jones, however, was drafted by Cleveland in the 2016 MLB Draft as a shortstop, not playing a professional game in the outfield until 2021. Jones finished with 11 outfield assists, he and Gold Glove-winning center fielder Brenton Doyle uncorking some of baseball's highest velocity throws last season.

However, Jones’ inexperience showed on some key miscues while tracking fly balls. Folks have been writing about the effect of the mile-high altitude on baseball throughout the Rockies’ existence; Jones added some chapters.

“I would go on the road, come back home and miss fly balls that first day,” he said. “The line drive stays up. It does not come down. I dove for line drives last year that hit me on the wrist. It’s learning those small things. The fly ball that looks like it’s going to be a blooper, it doesn’t come down so I don’t have to take those first three steps in. I can read it, and if it’s over my head I can go back.”

When Jones puts down his pen each day, he wants to feel good.

“We fail so much in baseball,” Jones said. “I did a good job last year of finding small wins. Every single day, I'm not going to hit a home run; I'm not going to have an RBI; I'm not going to might not get a hit. There are so many positives that you can take out of the day. I mean, we're here for 12 hours every single day. If I'm worried about four at-bats, I'm not gonna be happy.

“At times, I did a good job last year of finding wins, whether it was in the cage in the outfield or guilty taking reps in the outfield while guys are hitting batting practice and I made a read that I haven't made or I got a good jump on a ball. That really kept me in a good mindset.”