Don't be surprised if Nolan Jones starts producing for the Cleveland Guardians

When the Cleveland Guardians reacquired former top prospect Nolan Jones from the Colorado Rockies, it came as somewhat of a surprise. The Guardians had a pieced-together but somewhat full outfield group before the deal, and trying to shoehorn him into the equation seemed like it could be difficult.

Still, the Guardians believe enough in Jones' offensive profile to bring him back in hopes he could provide the offensive help they truly need, and no one should be surprised if he starts to be one of the more productive hitters in Cleveland's lineup.

Now, Jones may not have come out of the gate rolling as some would have hoped. With 3 hits (2 doubles) in 15 at-bats, Jones is yet to provide the offensive jolt the Guardians are looking for, and his seven strikeouts during that span are not necessarily all that encouraging. However, there is one particular metric that is worth pointing out that could indicate that future success could very well be imminent.

Jones has seen his bat speed increase by 2.7 miles per hour, as pointed out in a recent article appearing in The Athletic (subscription required). Going from 71 to 73.7 MPH has Jones being mentioned along four others by author Eno Sarris.

Sarris would go on to praise Jones's skillset, even though his stat line leaves something to be desired up to this point. "The Guardians bought low on a familiar face because he hits the ball super hard, runs well and doesn’t chase outside the zone, and all those things are still happening even as the results aren’t there yet.", wrote Sarris. When evaluating the state of the rest of Cleveland's roster, a reunion with Jones was a no-brainer.

The Guardians have more than their fair share of players who can work counts and get on base, but not enough that can drive the ball consistently. Sure, there are power threats in Cleveland's lineup. The problem is they are not consistent in their production and often have little impact on the game unless their name is Jose Ramirez or the emerging Kyle Manzardo. Betting on Jones to be a complementary power threat to their primary ones is a bet worth making for the Guardians. It just may take some time for the actual results to show in the stat sheet, and for that, patience must be exercised.