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Colorado Rockies' Nolan Jones Stands With Elite Company in Recent History Books

Nolan Jones' breakout rookie campaign with the Colorado Rockies can only be matched by Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani, Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker.

Sam Connon

Colorado Rockies' Nolan Jones Stands With Elite Company in Recent History Books
Colorado Rockies' Nolan Jones Stands With Elite Company in Recent History Books /
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Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones attracted plenty of attention with his breakout campaign in 2023, but his stats went beyond just being impressive for a rookie.

MLB Network recently compiled a list of the last five left-handed hitters to post an OPS over .900 against both left-handed and right-handed pitchers in a single season, with Jones having accomplished the feat last year. Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman was the only other player to do so in 2023.

Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez was the lone lefty to reach both thresholds in 2022, while Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker and former Los Angeles Angels designated hitter did so in 2021.

That is pretty notable company for the 25-year-old Jones, who finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting after putting up those gaudy numbers. Ohtani, meanwhile, rode his stat line to an MVP Award. Freeman and Alvarez both finished third in MVP voting when they joined the exclusive club.

Jones may not have come particularly close to that kind of hardware, but MLB Network did peg him as the No. 3 left fielder in baseball entering 2024.

Jones started 2023 in Triple-A, and he didn't make his Rockies debut until late May. In the 106 appearances he made from that point on, Jones hit .297 with 20 home runs, 62 RBI, 20 stolen bases, a .931 OPS and a 4.3 WAR.

Against righties, Jones hit .289 with a .550 slugging percentage and .945 OPS. Versus lefties, he hit .314 with a .525 slugging percentage and .902 OPS.

On top of his production at the plate, Jones also led the league with 19 outfield assists.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.

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