The New York Yankees are facing a dilemma this offseason. With star outfielders Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham blowing in the wind, the Yankees will either need to come up with some solutions to shore up their outfield, or start to count on a superstar prospect who is coming of age.
In a recent article for NJ.com, Randy Miller outlined some of the pros and cons of relying heavily on a young outfield consisting of Aaron Judge, Jones and rookie Jasson Domínguez (who will be in his sophomore season) rather than investing in more proven outfield options.
“[…] the Yankees believe Spencer Jones, their No. 2 prospect in MLB Pipeline’s rankings, is ready to be a big-league center fielder, maybe by 2026 Opening Day,” Miller wrote. “The 2022 first-round pick out of Vanderbilt has no experience in the majors, but the 6-foot-7 slugger is a young Judge clone who put up a lot of impressive numbers this season.”
“Playing 116 games, the first 49 in Double-A and then 67 in Triple-A, Jones hit .274 with 35 homers, 80 RBI, 29 steals in 35 attempts and a .932 OPS. And it’s not like his Double-A numbers were far superior: He hit .274 at both levels.”
Feb 22, 2025; Dunedin, Florida, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Spencer Jones (78) is congratulated after he hit a home run during the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Judge clone is right, as the situation stands, and the Yankees knew it at the trade deadline. The front office was so adamant about hanging onto Jones as a major player in the future of the organization that they refused to trade him for any other player, with only one exception. The Yankees were willing to trade Jones away for Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes. The Pirates didn’t bite, and Jones stayed.
When asked after the deadline why they didn’t go for the litany of offers for Jones, general manager Brian Cashman gave a cryptic answer.
“Some guys are more touchable than others,” Cashman said.
Jones’ offensive prowess comes with a sticky stat the Yankees may not love: his strikeout rate in the minors is worse than the highest in the majors, Ryan McMahon, who also happens to be on the Yankees.
“The big concern is that Jones always has struck out a ton and it continued last season with 179 in 506 plate appearances,” Miller wrote. “That’s a 35.4 percent strikeout rate in the minors. Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon’s 32.3 percent K rate was the highest in the majors.”
The Yankees need to shore up their offense in the offseason after relying far too heavily on a number of key sluggers in 2025. They weren’t exactly a one-man show, but they’ll need to create an offense that can complement Judge’s talents instead of leaning on them so heavily. Jones may be that guy, if he can fix the key issue holding him back.
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