Spencer Jones is trying to find his place with the rebuilding New York Yankees this upcoming season. Jones is a promising outfield prospect for New York who wants to excel at spring training. He is looking at Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani for inspiration with his swing.
“The best guy with the toe-down swing is Ohtani,” Jones said, per The Athletic. “So it was just kind of looking at some of the moves that he does, lined up with some of the things that I’m trying to do.”
Jones is working with his coaches carefully to nail down his swing. He is even used to huddling around an iPad tablet after games, to review his plate appearances.
“A lot of my miss came when my foot was off the ground timing-wise,” Jones said.
The outfielder is listed as one of New York's top 20 farm system prospects, according to The Athletic.
Spencer Jones is impressing his teammates at Yankees spring training
Several of his Yankees teammates are taking notice of Jones at spring training this year. One of those Bronx Bombers paying close attention is team leader Aaron Judge.
“I think the biggest thing that I’ve noticed swing-wise is he’s just ready to hit,” Judge said. “The minute he puts that foot down with the little toe-tap, he’s ready to hit. Maybe they might have got him with a lot of high heaters in the past or even last season. I think that’s just going to help him. He doesn’t have a big leg kick; he doesn’t have to worry about getting that down.
“That quickness, that readiness is really going to be a game-changer for him.”
Jones was drafted by the Yankees in 2022. In 2025 working in the minors, Jones hit 35 home runs and drove in 80 RBIs. He is one of a core of young guys that Yankees management thinks could help this season.
“Those guys are going to absolutely impact us this year, and we’ll just see how it shakes out over the next four weeks,” manager Aaron Boone said.
The Yankees play a spring training game Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox.
