Spencer Jones Has Newfound Confidence and Wants to Remain in New York
Jingwei Zhao
According to the MLB Pipeline, the New York Yankees’ have Spencer Jones as their No. 2 prospect. As the trade deadline is coming up in eight days, Jones is one of the most talked-about prospects in the league.
The decision the Yankees make in the following days before the upcoming deadline regarding Jones will exhibit their opinion regarding their rising star. If they keep him, Jones could potentially become the team’s center fielder as soon as next year. If the club trades him, then that means they do not have enough faith in the 24-year-old slugger to perform in the big leagues.
Jones himself is also aware of the situation. Apparently, his friends across America constantly send him content that involves him. Rather than finding it annoying, Jones seems to be enjoying what his friends send him. One post that a friend forwarded had him laughing days later.
He told The Athletic, “There was a post of me hitting a home run and one of the comments was, ‘Get ready to speak desert, buddy. That’s a really good one. I saw that and was dying laughing. That is just so good. To me, that’s the really fun part about baseball at this time of year. I really like the creativity that fans have. It’s awesome. I don’t know if I can speak desert.” The comment references how the Arizona Diamondbacks may want to sign Jones given his potential. The Diamonbacks have been linked to the Yankees before through third baseman Eugenio Suárez, so if the Yankees are interested in securing Suárez, then a trade involving him and Jones is a possibility.
As for Yankees fans regarding Jones, they have split opinions. Given his statistics from the minor leagues this season, some believe he is worthy of being traded for star-level talents. He hit 10 home runs in 16 Triple-A games, has a 1.106 OPS, and he is tied with the most home runs across this season’s minor leagues, with a total of 26.
Yet, he also faces heavy criticism because of his swing-and-miss proneness and absence of contact. In Triple A, he was whiffing 37.6% of his swings, and he would rank second-to-last in the MLB for his 74.8% in-zone contact rate. Fans have divided opinions, but as for Jones himself, he eagerly wants to play for the Yankees.
“I was just talking to my girlfriend about this, but at the end of the day, I want to play in New York and be a part of this organization and stay loyal to it. That’s a big part of who I am and where I want to go in my career,” he explained. Jones said the organization has not mentioned anything about a potential trade involving him, and confirmed he is starting to finally feel confident when playing.
Jones has adjusted his stance multiple times throughout the season, and it seems his latest one is working in his favor. He crouches low, keeps his hips wide, and exaggerates the leg kick. Although somewhat odd-looking, he has seen success this year because of it. He detailed, “In spring, there were issues with my ability to recognize pitches and make a decision right away. Where I’m at now, people may look at it and think it’s not simple, but the move and the way it works is very simple. I kind of just move my body, let myself see the pitch and let my body swing. That’s where it’s been. I am glad to have been able to produce the results I have.” Jones reflects on the progress he made, and how the results that he achieved were because of his improved decision-making and stance adjustments.
Another improvement in his form included making his swing path as steep as possible to hit the baseball to the pull side. This new change has led to his fly-ball rate going up from 29.2% last year to 40.3% this season. His ground-ball rate decreased from 42.3% in 2024 to 29.9% this year. Now, he has the best wRC+ (205) in the minor leagues. Jones commented, “I’ve been focused on flattening the path to let those fly balls I hit to left field have a little more carry or the line drives to right get a little more backspin. It’s a delicate balance.”
Aaron Boone, the Yankees manager, explained how Jones has many advantages over the competition. He said, “…I think you have advantages just with your strength and your leverage and things like that. So he’s made a lot of adjustments over the last couple of years, and it’s good to see that those adjustments in Double and Triple A have paid off for him so far.” Jones’ success came from fixing his technique, and with the strength advantage he already has, he can definitely perform in the MLB.
Jones would have exceptional value in the MLB, as not only is he good with the bat, but he is also a fast and talented defensive center fielder. Since there are not many center fielders who can also hit well, his batting only needs to be average or slightly below average in the MLB for him to already be of good use.
As for Jones’ confidence, it has never been better, and he tells critics not to worry. “I knew there were glimpses of what I was capable of in seasons past, but the production, I had never felt true to myself or consistent,” he said. However, Jones seems to have finally found his sweet spot this year. “I think the way things have worked out this year is just a product of me being more comfortable within myself to flow naturally. I’m not worried about what the stance looks like or what anything else looks like. I’m just feeling good playing baseball.”
