It remains unclear when -- or if -- Yankees top prospect Spencer Jones will make his major league debut in pinstripes. The left-handed slugger, standing at an imposing 6-foot-6, has a handful of minor league hurdles to climb this coming season before he can truly set sights on a huge promotion.

But regardless of where Jones starts and finishes his 2025 campaign, he's already in the process of making the necessary plate adjustments to boost his value and potential.

"This offseason's been great, working on a lot of new things," Jones said during an appearance on YES Network's Yankees Hot Stove on Tuesday. "I think I grew up a lot toward the end of last season, as far as mentally with my performance and the way things went. Just handling the roller-coaster season that it was and growing through it, I think I'm in a great spot now, especially with the training I'm doing, to show up in spring training and give my best effort."

Jones, who played his first full Double-A season in 2024, undoubtedly experienced the peaks and valleys of hitting. While the 23-year-old showed glimpses of elite power -- he finished with 17 home runs, 30 doubles, and 78 RBI in 122 games -- the massive red flag was his plate discipline. Jones struck out a whopping 200 times, which set a franchise record for a Yankees minor league player, and his 36.8 percent strikeout rate ranked highest among qualified Double-A hitters.

The good news for Jones is that he possesses more than just power -- he also exhibited intriguing speed last season, stealing 25 bases. The Yankees hope those tools, along with athleticism in the outfield, are further enhanced by Jones this season. He's an exciting homegrown talent capable of thriving in the middle of the lineup.

The other obvious perk? He's a young, cost-controlled player available to the Yankees while their championship window remains open. Jones has a bright future, but only time will tell if he can conquer the Triple-A level and force the issue. He's expressing optimism, however, based on a recent Instagram story showing his work in the cage.

"I've been working a bunch this offseason on some new patterns, some new drills," Jones said. "I feel like we've gotten to a point with my swing this offseason that I'm ready to share it a little bit and I'm excited for people to see it in games... At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter where you play as long as you're the player you want to be... I think talent and hard work comes from the top, and it's just my job to put the performance behind it."

Popular in the Community