No. 2 prospect Jones arrives to Yanks camp feeling 'dangerous'

This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch¡¯s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

TAMPA, Fla. -- There was a gleam in Spencer Jones¡¯ eyes as he discussed the mechanical changes that he incorporated over the offseason, designed to cut down on swings and misses while making life difficult for opposing pitchers.

So far, he senses the changes are working.

¡°I feel dangerous,¡± said Jones, who completed the 2024 season as the Yankees¡¯ No. 2 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.

That was on display in the Grapefruit League on Saturday, when Jones launched an opposite-field, two-run homer off the Blue Jays¡¯ Eric Pardinho, sending a splitter over the left-field wall at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Fla. Jones¡¯ blast came off the bat at 104.5 mph, per Statcast.

¡°Not a lot of guys,¡± manager Aaron Boone said, ¡°hit a ball like that.¡±

And with Jones looking to shake off a tough season with Double-A Somerset, that observation is the main lesson the 23-year-old took into the winter -- make contact more frequently.

The club¡¯s first-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, Jones frequently showed flashes of the power and promise that have prompted comparisons to a left-handed Aaron Judge. But in 544 plate appearances last season, he struck out 200 times -- the most ever by a Yankees Minor Leaguer.

¡°My biggest takeaway was, when I hit the ball, good things happen,¡± Jones said. ¡°And when I hit the ball in the air, better things happen.¡±

In 124 Double-A games, Jones posted a .259/.336/.452 slash line with 30 doubles, six triples, 17 homers and 78 RBIs, stealing 25 bases in 34 attempts.

¡°The biggest thing for me is, when I¡¯m making my decision and it¡¯s time to swing, that everything is moving in one piece,¡± Jones said. ¡°I was running into issues last year where I would have a lot of slack, where I wouldn¡¯t have much power or much force behind my barrel when it was time to go.¡±

Jones said his work to clean up his swing transpired over the offseason in Nashville, Tenn. After arriving for his second Major League Spring Training, he has continued those tweaks, saying that the Yankees ¡°have been very supportive of me and helped me out a lot with it.¡±

¡°I feel like there¡¯s still work in progress into making it fully integrated or making it a completely natural move, but for the time being, we¡¯re going to keep working through it,¡± Jones said. ¡°I keep asking a lot of questions, and we¡¯re going to keep progressing.¡±

Boone said he believes Jones¡¯ ceiling is ¡°enormous¡± because of his power, defensive ability and speed, saying of the 6-foot-6, 235-pounder, ¡°It¡¯s just going to be harnessing that size a little bit, and that swing.¡±

Jones will likely begin this season back in Double-A, but while he is in big league camp, he said he is trying to be ¡°like a little sponge soaking up information.¡± Jones watches Judge¡¯s work closely, and as a left-handed hitter, he has also been paying attention to new arrival Cody Bellinger this spring.

¡°There¡¯s certain things that he does really well in the outfield and with his approach that I can apply,¡± Jones said. ¡°The guy is an MVP. It would be dumb for me not to try to learn from him a little bit.¡±