SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Rockies left fielder Nolan Jones does his best to apply his regular season preparation to Spring Training, which can be fluid. Friday was fluid, literally. The game against the Rangers at Salt River Field at Talking Stick was rained out, though Jones¡¯ lone at-bat came just in time.

Before the snippet of game play, and after sessions of hitting in the batting cage and on a back field, Jones discussed the challenge of treating Cactus League games the way he was able to treat MLB games last season, when he hit .297 with 20 home runs, 22 doubles and four triples in 106 games as a rookie.

¡°There¡¯s not as much information on guys, and I think that the Rangers changed their starter three times so I still don¡¯t know who¡¯s starting,¡± Jones said.

Turned out he was prepared enough for his left-on-left meeting with Rangers starter Chasen Shreve in the first inning. Jones took a strike, then blasted what turned out to be a skies-opening solo home run to straight-away center. Immediately after, the players dashed away from the rain, the tarp was laid on the infield and the game was abandoned.

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The homer was washed away officially, but it stood as an example of what Jones, who turns 26 on May 7, has learned about himself -- and what the Rockies have learned about his preparation for a season.

The Rockies acquired Jones from the Guardians after the 2022 season. Last spring, Jones, who debuted with 28 games for Cleveland in ¡®22, pushed to make the Opening Day roster. A developing player struggling with Major League breaking pitches is common, but he wasn¡¯t hitting fastballs, a problem that led the Rockies to conclude he needed time at Triple-A Albuquerque.

Jones was sent to Triple-A after hitting .192 over 22 Cactus League games a year ago.

It turned out Jones struggled with up-and-in pitches partly because he tied himself in knots trying to impress. Freed from the eyes of the Rockies, the real Jones came out after two months in Triple-A, earning himself a callup.

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This year, Jones¡¯ first four Cactus League games produced 10 hitless at-bats, but the reaction from him and the club has been different. Even when not getting hits, Jones is clear-headed in his assessments. Now Jones has lifted his batting average to .258 and is showing some of the traits that has led manager Bud Black to pencil him in in the No. 3 spot in the batting order.

¡°We know that the effort level and the intensity is going to be there every day,¡± Black said. ¡°You ask players to bring a focus and an intensity, even in Spring Training games. With Nolan, he¡¯s on all the time. That¡¯s a great trait.

¡°Once he got sent down last year, he exhaled and started putting up great numbers and playing like he's capable of playing, and that carried over to the Major Leagues. This spring is different, because he set a standard for how he expects to play this year. Now it's a matter of getting himself ready to do that.¡±

Even after the callup, the adjustment to the Majors wasn¡¯t easy. Jones hit .193 in 18 July games, but by then, the Rockies knew Jones and his swing. They found that while he can be intense to a fault in games, he is cerebral enough to review his performance and come back better.

Eventually, Jones found the right swing and approach, and inserted himself into the National League Rookie of the Year conversation. From Aug. 1 to season¡¯s end, Jones batted .317 with 11 home runs and a 1.008 OPS.

This spring, a less-anxious Jones is looking at each at-bat as a chance to gather information and not a pass-fail exercise. That¡¯s the reason for the thirst for knowledge of the opposing pitcher and his likely pitching plan before the game, and the analysis after the at-bat.

But the most important part of the day is when he¡¯s in the batter¡¯s box in front of a few thousand fans at a Spring Training game. The desire to perform is the same as in the regular season -- or even in a playoff game, something the Rockies would love to participate in at some point. Dialing any of the competitiveness back would have been the wrong lesson to take from last ill-fated spring.

¡°The emphasis is on the compete mode,¡± Jones said. ¡°As a human, I¡¯m just competing. I want to go out and have a great season. I don¡¯t want to give up any at-bats. Every at-bat is an opportunity for me to learn, feel my swing and get better. I don¡¯t want to miss out on those.¡±