Can Spencer Jones Prove Himself At Spring Training?

New year, new Spencer Jones? That’s what everyone is hoping for at least. I have some reservations with Jones, but he’s invited to Spring Training. He’s coming with something to prove, and we’re all watching to see if he can rise to the occasion.

Jones was once a rising star, but now he has fallen off MLB’s top 100 prospects list and also sits at number three in the Yankees system behind Will Warren and Jasson Dominguez. Jones has a lot of potential, but he struggled a lot last season in Double-A. His 200 strikeouts were the second most number of strikeouts in Minor League Baseball. It also broke a Yankees Minor League record set in 2005 by Tim Battle. Jones will be 24 years old in May, time is not on his side to climb his way to the majors. He’s struggled a lot in Double-A, that’s not going to get any easier in Triple-A.

As it stands right now, it is projected that Jones should be ready for major league action next season, some sources I’ve seen online even project a later call up this season. Based on what we see on paper, Jones is nowhere near ready. He knows it too, so he’s been putting in the work before Spring Training, check out details of his offseason work HERE.

So, he’s been working a lot on his swing, which is a step in the right direction. Jones isn’t just another power-hitting outfielder. He’s a rare hybrid mix of size, speed, and raw athleticism. At 6’6″, he has the natural ability to generate power, as proven by his 17 home runs last season. Because of this, big guys like him often take longer to perfect their swing….and time is something Jones doesn’t have a lot of time of.

Jones definitely needs to hone in on his mechanics in order to improve his stats and get to Triple-A level. He’s no Juan Soto who skipped the Triple-A level, Jones definitely needs the extra time to develop. Double-A is known as an extremely high developmental level league where many young top prospects work on weaknesses and tweak their skills to get to the majors. This is exactly what Jones needs.

I know I said Jones doesn’t have a lot of time, and unless he makes improvements it’s true. The Yankees are getting closer to a point where they need to decide what Spencer’s future is. Is it with the Yankees….or not? They can’t hold on to a soon-to-be 24-year-old Double-A prospect forever.

I’m ready to get Spring Training underway. I like hearing Spencer talk about his improved swing, but now I want to SEE it. It’s time to see if Spencer is the real deal or just an over-hyped prospect.