In another baseball universe, Yankees top prospect Spencer Jones begins his first spring training at a Major League camp this month in a different uniform.
Jones was thought to be the primary piece that the Brewers wanted back in a potential Corbin Burnes trade earlier this winter, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
When the Yankees refused to let Jones go — a 6-foot-6 outfielder who one scout feels was “born to be a Yankee” — the Orioles jumped in and signed him.
Jones, a San Diego native, was also on the Padres’ want list during the initial Juan Soto trade talks, according to Heyman.
The Yankees were able to shift the spotlight away from Jones because to an abundance of pitching quality in the club. They assembled a package of weaponry that the Padres could not reject.
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Both situations highlight how the Yankees feel about Jones, a former first-round pick ranked among the top 100 prospects by MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, ESPN, and others.
Jones’ first full season of professional baseball in 2023 showed flashes of potential that the Yankees would be foolish to pass up. In 117 games with High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset, the Vanderbilt product batted.267 and had 16 home runs, 66 RBI, and 43 stolen bases.
Despite the outfielder’s outstanding tools, any discussion about Jones must include the prospect’s greatest shortcoming.
Jones struck out 155 times last year, more than any other player in the organization outside Anthony Volpe. His strikeout rate of 28.9 percent was the 32nd highest among minor-league hitters with at least 500 plate appearances.
Simply speaking, a strong hitter like Jones must cover more territory. As much as he may cause real damage when he barrels up the baseball, any flaws in his swing will be revealed more frequently as he moves closer to the major leagues. The caliber of pitching he faces every day will only improve significantly.
That’s why this spring is so significant. Jones will most likely return to Double-A when the regular season begins, with a call to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on the horizon this summer. He will have the opportunity to learn from invaluable reps against high-level pitching, both in Grapefruit League play and live sessions at Yankees camp.
“With any athlete who is going to have enormous success, they’re always looking to make adjustments to put themselves in a position to excel,” Yankees hitting coordinator Joe Migliaccio told NJ Advance Media by phone this week. “Being able to have that game experience and recognize how the pitching is different, Spencer is going to learn how opposing pitchers attack him.”
Migliaccio stated that Jones has had an excellent offseason. He’s been working hard to capitalize on the momentum he built during his first full season with the team. Jones improved as a prospect, according to Migliaccio, but the outfielder was dissatisfied with his performance.
He also highlighted that strikeout percentages are a result of what happens during an entire at-bat, particularly in plate appearances where hitters find themselves in an unfavorable two-strike situation.
What type of swing decisions did the batter make to reach a 0-2 count?
Are they chasing outside the zone or deviating from their game plan?
“We’re trying to get him to be in a spot where he’s making good decisions in the zone and taking advantage of his strengths,” Migliaccio said in a statement. “He is aware of the places in which he can cause significant damage. Sometimes it’s as simple as saying, ‘OK, I’ll let this pitcher have this section of the zone. I know he’s going to make a mistake at some point during this at-bat, whether it’s with his fastball or not, and I’m going to capitalize on it. We just need to make sure he doesn’t make a defensive decision. It’s a decision to make an impact.”
That means he can choose not to swing at a strike early in the count as long as the pitch is not one he can drive.
“By no means are we talking with Spencer and encouraging his training to be home run or bust,” Migliaccio was quoted as saying. “But if we can just help him hit the ball on the barrel and elevate it over the infielder’s head consistently, the guy is going to have a phenomenal career.”
