Baseball America, Keith Law of ESPN, Jeff Ellis of Scout.com and many other reputable draft sites and experts, Holy Ghost Prep (P.A.) shortstop Nolan Jones getting picked anywhere between 12-30, mostly not falling out of the first or competitive balance rounds.
Many had the Indians linked to Jones in the first round, so they are probably undoubtedly thrilled that they selected him with the 55th overall pick.
Jones is a prep shortstop with a commitment to Virginia, so the Indians may have to go a bit overslot to sign him away from one of the most successful college baseball programs in the country the last few years. Many feel Jones will also likely move off of short and play third, possibly even second base. His bat is his carrying tool and would really play up at second base. The pick of Jones and possibly needing to go overslot to sign him might explain the Indians selecting Will Benson in the first round, who some felt was a reach.
Baseball America calls the left handed hitting Jones “one of the most exciting bats in this high school class.” He’s considered to have good raw power and good arm strength, meaning his bat and arm should play no matter where he winds up in the field.
http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/40395496/v532384783/draft-report-nolan-jones-high-school-3b
One of the knocks on Jones was potentially playing in a cold weather area and not exceeding against upper level competition, but he should have proven that idea wrong with a reported great showing in the Area Code Games.
The pick of Jones, should they sign him, would give the Indians two promising left handed hitting prep bats in the first two rounds of the 2016 draft.
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