TAMPA — The New York Yankees have a tradition of spotlighting their top minor league talent each spring. This year’s picks carry extra weight. Both winners are knocking on the door of the big leagues and could factor into the Yankees’ plans before the season is over.
Outfielder Spencer Jones and right-hander Elmer Rodriguez were named winners of the 2025 Kevin Lawn Awards on Friday. The Yankees honored both players in an on-field ceremony before the spring training game against the Orioles at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Jones took home the Yankees’ minor league Position Player of the Year award. Rodriguez earned the Pitcher of the Year honor. The annual awards are dedicated to Kevin O’Brien Lawn, the son of longtime Bombers Vice President and Chief of Operations Jack Lawn, who passed away in 1999.
Jones bounced back in a major way for the Yankees
Spencer Jones, 24, entered 2025 as one of the most divisive prospects in the Yankees system. He had struggled with strikeouts during a rough 2024 campaign at Double-A Somerset. The 6-foot-7 outfielder responded with the best season of anyone in the organization.
He hit .274/.362/.571 with 35 home runs, 80 RBIs, 58 walks and 29 stolen bases in 116 combined games between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Jones ranked second among all minor league players in home runs last season. He led all Yankees farmhands in home runs and runs scored, ranked second in extra-base hits and total bases, and third in RBI and OPS.
His July was historic. Jones was named International League Player of the Month after hitting .419/.477/.946 with 11 home runs, 23 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 18 games with the RailRiders. Baseball America and MLB Pipeline both ranked him as the No. 6 prospect in the Yankees organization heading into 2026. MLB Pipeline also placed him on the All-MiLB Prospect First Team.
Jones impressed in Yankees spring training this year as well. He slashed .333/.455/.889 with three home runs in 22 plate appearances before being reassigned to minor league camp. The Encinitas, California, native was the Bombers’ first-round pick in the 2022 draft out of Vanderbilt University.
Rodriguez dominated at every level in the Yankees system
Elmer Rodriguez, 22, was arguably even more impressive. The right-hander went 11-8 with a 2.58 ERA across 150 innings and 27 appearances at three levels of the Yankees farm system. He started at High-A Hudson Valley, moved through Double-A Somerset and finished with a promotion to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
His 176 strikeouts ranked second among all minor league pitchers. Among qualified Yankees farmhands, Rodriguez ranked first in strikeouts and innings pitched, second in ERA and opponents’ batting average at .192, and had a 1.07 WHIP. Baseball America named him the Yankees’ 2025 Minor League Player of the Year and a First-Team All-Star.
Baseball America ranks Rodriguez as the No. 2 prospect in the Yankees organization and No. 59 overall in baseball. MLB Pipeline tabs him as No. 3 in the New York farm system and No. 82 in baseball. The San Juan, Puerto Rico, native was originally selected by the Boston Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2021 draft. The Bombers acquired him along with international bonus pool money in exchange for catcher Carlos Narvaez on December 11, 2024.
Rodriguez represented Team Puerto Rico in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. He also made two starts for the Yankees in spring training, allowing two runs over six innings with five strikeouts and a walk. He touched 97 mph and showed a sharp changeup, holding a lineup of Orioles regulars scoreless over three frames in his first outing.
What the award means for the Yankees pipeline
A look at the recent winners tells you everything about how the Yankees use this award. Anthony Volpe won the position player honor in 2021 and became an everyday shortstop by 2023. Jasson Dominguez took it in 2022 and made his big league debut the following September. Ben Rice won in 2023 and reached the Bronx in 2024. Cam Schlittler, the 2024 pitching winner, is competing for a Yankees bullpen spot right now.
The pattern is clear. The Kevin Lawn Award winners tend to be in the big leagues within a season or two. That is good news for Jones and Rodriguez, both of whom figure to see time with the Yankees at some point in 2026 or early 2027.
Kevin Lawn Award winners since 2015
| Year | Position Player of the Year | Pitcher of the Year |
| 2025 | OF Spencer Jones | RHP Elmer Rodriguez |
| 2024 | C Rafael Flores | RHP Cam Schlittler |
| 2023 | C Ben Rice | RHP Chase Hampton |
| 2022 | OF Jasson Dominguez | RHP Will Warren |
| 2021 | SS Anthony Volpe | RHP Hayden Wesneski |
| 2020 | No award (COVID) | No award (COVID) |
| 2019 | 1B Chris Gittens | RHP Deivi Garcia |
| 2018 | INF Brandon Wagner | RHP Michael King |
| 2017 | 3B Miguel Andujar | RHP Domingo Acevedo |
| 2016 | OF Aaron Judge | RHP Chance Adams |
| 2015 | C Gary Sanchez | RHP Luis Severino |
With Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon both returning from injuries this season, the Yankees rotation has depth. But Rodriguez’s dominance at every level makes him a strong candidate for a call-up when an arm is needed. Jones, meanwhile, remains stuck behind a crowded Yankees outfield. But injuries and trades have a way of opening doors. If his bat stays hot at Triple-A, the 6-foot-7 slugger could get his shot in the Bronx sooner than anyone expects.
What do you think about the future of two rookies?
