Outfielder Spencer Jones is one of the best prospects on the New York Yankees’ farm system.
He has been working on adjustments to his mechanics in the last couple of seasons.
What people usually don’t understand is that these adjustments take time, particularly for tall, big guys with long levers like Jones.
In the 2023-24 offseason, Jones worked hard to explode onto the ball quicker to tap into his raw power and pull the ball more consistently.
The 2024 campaign in Double-A was full of ups and downs: Jones struck out at an alarming 36.8 percent rate.
However, there were also some positives: he hit 17 home runs, stole 25 bases and put together a 124 wRC+ in Somerset.
After working on it for months, Jones’ stance looks a lot like a certain Yankees star with long levers: team captain Aaron Judge.
“Very subtly last year Spencer Jones changed to this kind of load and went scorched earth with a more manageable K%,” Yankees content creator Ryan Garcia posted on X.
With this load, Jones’ September strikeout rate was a bit better at 34.5 percent, and it went all the way down to 18.2 percent in the last eight games of the season.
Very subtly last year Spencer Jones changed to this kind of load and went scorched earth with a more manageable K% https://t.co/cg9PcgqPud
— Ryan Garcia (@RyanGarciaESM) January 5, 2025
It took him a while, but he now appears to be more comfortable with that load.
If you want proof that it looks a lot like Judge’s, see for yourself:
We are not saying Jones will now produce like Judge.
ALLLLLLLLLL RISE!
AARON JUDGE GAME-TYING HOME RUN 🤯 pic.twitter.com/P2tQxBItoi
— MLB (@MLB) October 17, 2024
However, it seems to help him load strength and still give him enough time to get his hips and legs into the ball.
In other words, it appears to be Jones’ most suitable stance/timing mechanism to this point.
The 2025 campaign will be huge for him: if he can keep the strikeouts in check, Triple-A and MLB could be in his future this year.
