Jones finding his power stroke for Hillcats

The power and run production were going to come for Nolan Jones. It was only a matter of when, not if. That time has arrived.
Cleveland's second-ranked prospect smacked his first career grand slam and reached base four times as Class A Advanced Lynchburg rolled past Frederick, 12-3, on Wednesday night at Nymeo Field.

Jones, who was homerless in his first 127 at-bats until going deep May 20, has gone yard four times in 28 at-bats since.
"It definitely went through my head at times," he said of the drought. "My teammates would joke with me about it at times, but I was confident it would come. I just needed to keep hitting balls hard and eventually they'd start going over [the wall]. It's about having patience and trusting the process while having confidence in yourself. I wasn't having bad luck or anything. It was a combination of getting pitched to differently and learning how to handle those situations. It's nice to see it start to pay off."
Gameday box score
Despite the lack of pop earlier this season, the 21-year-old maintained a steady pace at the plate. Jones carried a .303/.437/.413 slash line into the Hillcats' game against the Keys. MLB.com's No. 59 overall prospect grounded out in his first at-bat and walked in each of his ensuing plate appearances, scoring on Wilbis Santiago's double in the sixth inning. Jones came up for the second time later in the frame with three on and made it count, launching a first-pitch offering over the left-field wall to cap the eight-run inning. He had been 0-for-2 in bases-loaded situations this year and 2-for-14 (.143) in his professional career.
Jones walked a third time in his final plate appearance in the eighth, giving him nine free passes in his last five games.
"I'd guess [struggling with the bases loaded has] more to do with a small sample size," he said. "But a lot of times, you get big in those situations trying to drive in runs instead of sticking with your approach. I was looking for a pitch out over the plate to drive the other way, I got it and it paid off. I knew [Frederick reliever Cameron Ming] wanted to go off-speed later in the at-bat and would try to get ahead with the fastball, so I was more aggressive than I've been this year."
Jones entered play May 20 with 13 RBIs in 36 games, including six in his first 24 contests in April. He's equaled that output in his last nine contests and is batting .391 with four extra-base hits and nine walks during a seven-game hitting streak. The Langhorne, Pennsylvania, native leads the Carolina League with 39 bases on balls in 48 games.
"The pitchers are trying to get us out and we're trying to get on base," Jones said. "I try not to help them. My walks come in bunches sometimes, but if I get a pitch I can do damage with, then I'm up there hacking. I just do my best not to chase and help the pitcher out."
Cleveland's second-round pick in the 2016 Draft displayed the power expected of him last year with Class A Lake County and Lynchburg. Jones went yard 19 times and drove in 66 runs while batting .283/.405/.466 in 120 games. His breakthrough campaign earned him an MiLB.com 2018 Organization All-Star nod.
Jodd Carter's two-run homer in the first opened the scoring Jose Vicente also went deep during a three-hit, three-RBI effort.

Hillcats starter Matt Solter (4-0) surrendered three runs on five hits and career-high six walks in 5 2/3 innings. The 25-year-old struck out two en route to his fourth consecutive win since returning from Double-A Akron.
Zach Jarrett hit a solo homer and Cole Billingsley went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk for Frederick. 
Keys starter Cameron Bishop (0-3) was charged with four runs on four hits and three walks with five punchouts in 5 1/3 innings.