Jones lights up Statcast leaderboard for 2nd straight night with 100+ mph assist

DENVER -- When Nolan Jones picks up a baseball in left field, runners should beware. For the second straight night, Jones recorded an incredible outfield assist, nailing a runner at home with a 100.8 mph throw home to keep the score tied.

Alas, it wasn't enough as the Rockies fell 4-3, but it didn't diminish Jones' outstanding achievement. On Monday night in the series opener, Jones had an outfield assist of 101.3 mph. The two throws are the top two velocities on outfield assists in MLB this year.

“I know any chance that I have an opportunity to throw somebody out, I’m going to come up throwing as hard as I can,” Jones said. “It was just knowing the situation and where I was.”

Jones' throw on Tuesday was also noteworthy for the way it picked up his teammates. Brice Turang, one of the fastest runners in MLB, was only on the bases after a mishap in the field when the Rockies lost the ball in the lights.

The two high-velo assists on successive nights are also the second- and third-hardest thrown assists of Jones’ career, trailing his 102.7 mph assist from last season.

“What a special arm, he and Brenton [Doyle] both,” said manager Bud Black of Jones and his teammate. “We saw it last year, what those guys did, Nolan with 20 assists last year. Third-base coaches, they're holding guys up. Teams just aren't running on those guys. Nolan's got one of the best arms in the game. As does Brenton.”

Jones is the first player with assists of 100.0+ mph or more in back-to-back games since Statcast started tracking the stat in 2015, and the Rockies are the first team to have 100 mph or more assists in successive games from any combination of outfielders in the Statcast era. Jones is now tied with Kevin Kiermaier for the most outfield assists of 100 mph since 2015, with five each. Jones reached that mark in his 154th game, while Kiermaier did so in 975 games.

“Anytime the ball is hit over there, I kind of hope the player tries to stretch it an extra base, just because I know he'll throw him out most of the time,” Rockies starter Ryan Feltner said of Jones. “It's fun to watch him throw from the outfield, and to really pick his brain a little bit on his throwing mechanics at times. He throws pretty hard out there.”

As much as Jones’ arm may astound Black and his teammates, it doesn’t exactly surprise them. It’s a big part of why the Rockies made an offseason trade for him after he made his Major League debut with Cleveland in 2022. Jones was a first-round Draft pick as a third baseman who Cleveland converted to an outfielder.

“The arm has always been strong,” Black said of Jones. “That was part of what made him a high-profile guy. He can run, he could throw, good size, power as a young high schooler. So, it's been there, but it's been polished for sure with throwing technique and throwing programs that you go through in professional baseball, and he's added to that with a work ethic of really fine-tuning the art of throwing. He works hard with [outfield coach Ron Gideon] on an everyday basis, as do all our outfielders. Kudos to him. It's a big part of his game. He takes a lot of pride in it too.”

Jones described some of that training, proving the adage that achieving perfection comes from perfect practice.

“Once a series we [practice those throws],” Jones said, noting he’ll let everything fly on his full-strength practice throws. “Three to the right, three to the left, three right at you. We're working on the footwork all the time and obviously the throwing program every day with the arm strength.”

When Jones can pick up his teammates, like he did Tuesday, it shows the work is paying off.