Nolan Jones is our No. 1 Cleveland prospect for 2021, keeping his No. 1 ranking he held in 2020. He hasn’t been out of the top two in the past four years, finishing second in both 2019 and 2018.
A second-round draft pick in 2016, Jones didn’t waste any time making a name for himself, terrorizing the Low-A New York-Penn League in 2017 with a ridiculous .317/.430/.482 slash for the (now former Cleveland affiliate) Mahoning Valley Scrappers, which earned him short-season All-Star status from Baseball America.
The left-handed slugger didn’t miss a beat in 2018 in his first taste of full-season ball, maintaining an elite 16% walk rate while posting a career-high ISO thanks to 16 home runs, which earned him a late promotion to High-A Lynchburg.