Who is Spencer Jones, the Yankees draft pick with Aaron Judge-like qualities?

Spencer Jones is making a name for himself with the Yankees, and the rest of baseball is starting to pay attention. Many people are comparing the rookie to Aaron Judge, even though he hasn’t even played a full season of professional baseball for the team.

With the 25th pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, the Yankees chose the 6-foot-7, power-hitting outfielder. Spencer Jones had a big year with the Commodores in 2022 and was named the Corvallis Regional Most Outstanding Player. Spencer Jones was known to have some of the fastest exit speeds in his draft class, and we know that the Yankees like players who hit the ball hard.

Spencer Jones did well in both the Complex League and Single-A, where he hit .538 with a 173 wRC+ and 4 HRs in his first 106 plate appearances to show off his power. He hit .325 with three home runs in single-A even though he had just graduated from college.

Spencer Jones’ size and his ability to hit the ball like a rocket made everyone immediately think of Aaron Judge. Though, he could have an even better approach at the plate, especially for Yankees fans who are tired of seeing players swing and miss. Even though his power and exit speeds are crazy, Spencer Jones doesn’t strike out at a crazy rate. When he played for the Yankees for the first time, Jones only struck out 18.9% of the time. His discipline and eye passed the test, so in 2023, he will be able to go all the way into the water instead of just dipping his toes in.

“I’m really excited to eventually meet [Judge] at some point,” Spencer Jones said. “I’ve heard really great things about his personality, and as a teammate and as a great leader. I’m excited to get to know him and learn from him as much as I possibly can.”

Spencer Jones is as tall as Judge, and both are unique athletes and prospects for the Yankees, so their names are linked. As an athlete, it is not a matter of opinion to say that Jones is unique. Before the draft, Loden Sports, a company that has tested more than 13,000 athletes to find out how they perform, found that Spencer Jones was in the top 1% of all the athletes they’ve tested. In particular, they found that he was the best at power and speed.

The 230-pound outfielder has a unique mix of speed and power. One scouting service called Spencer Jones an “outlier athlete.” The 21-year-old attracted attention at Vanderbilt when he hit .370/.460/.643. He played just 61 games but had 60 RBIs and recorded 12 home runs. This was his first healthy season after elbow injuries slowed down his career and ended his pitching career. The Yankees scouts immediately took note of his exit velocity and signed. He averaged 103.6 mph on his 10 swings and hit the hardest ball of the day at 112.2 mph.

According to his coach Maggie Corbin:

“Early in the season you could see some power, but it was mostly the other way. He was still trying to feel his barrel head out in front. As the season progressed, he really started to get up on it. I think people have questioned if he could really get after the fastball, but you saw him more and more catching up with good fastballs. He’s really feeling the barrel now. He’s becoming the player we thought he would, the bat speed, I mean he hits some opposite-field ground balls that infielders don’t even think about getting in front of. Exit speeds of 115, just incredible strength for his size. The guy runs around the field with his shirt off and you just know he’s a different cat.”

“Center field is definitely the goal,” Spencer Jones said. “I want to get to the point, and I’m just at the beginning of the journey. I’m excited to get to work and show people what I can do.”

Spencer Jones in 2023

Spencer Jones’s 2023 season within the minor league system of the New York Yankees marked a significant phase in his budding baseball career. Assigned to the Hudson Valley Renegades in the High-A South Atlantic League at the season’s outset, Jones’s performance swiftly elevated him to a prominent prospect status. His selection alongside Clayton Beeter for the 2023 All-Star Futures Game underscored his rising organizational profile

Jones’s mid-season promotion to the Somerset Patriots of the Double-A Eastern League further highlighted his progress. Throughout the year, over 117 games, he compiled a commendable stat line, slashing .267/.336/.444, with a notable production of 12 home runs, 66 RBIs, and 29 doubles. His 43 stolen bases illustrated his speed and base-running acumen, setting him apart as a well-rounded player.

However, Jones faced challenges with strikeouts, recording 155 in 117 games, indicating areas for growth in contact hitting and pitch selection. Despite this, his 9.1% walk rate over 537 plate appearances demonstrated a solid eye and discipline at the plate, suggesting potential for further development in plate discipline and strike zone control.

Defensively, Jones showcased the ability to play center field, leveraging his above-average athleticism and speed. This capability is particularly noteworthy given his height, making him a rare talent in center-field positions typically not filled by players of his stature.

Jones’s future in baseball is promising, with scouting grades reflecting his balanced skill set—highlighted by a hit grade of 50, power at 60, speed at 55, fielding at 50, and eye at 55. His power-hitting potential, with projections suggesting the ability to hit 25-30 home runs at the Major League level, combined with his above-average speed, positions him as a unique talent. While there is anticipation of a possible decrease in speed over time, which might necessitate a shift to a corner outfield position, Jones’s all-star potential remains clear.

2024 season

Spencer Jones spent the entire 2024 season in the New York Yankees’ minor league system, playing in Double-A with the Somerset Patriots. He appeared in 122 games and put up a .259 batting average, hit 17 home runs, drove in 78 RBIs, and stole 25 bases while posting a .788 OPS. Jones’ combination of power and speed was a key part of his development, even as strikeouts remained a noted challenge. During the year he also was active in the American League Futures Game, showcasing his potential to advance further in the organization.

2025 season

Jones’ 2025 campaign changed the conversation around him.

In 2025, Jones split the season between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders after a midseason promotion on June 27. Across 116 games, he hit .274 with 35 home runs, 80 RBIs, 29 stolen bases, and posted a .933 OPS combining both levels. His power surge ranked among the minor leagues’ best, and he was named to the All-MiLB Prospect First Team for his performance. The Yankees added him to their 40-man roster on Nov. 18, 2025, to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.

His promotion to Triple-A was a milestone in late June 2025, where he homered in his first Triple-A game and continued to demonstrate his power-speed blend despite lingering strikeout concerns. Within the Yankees organization, Spencer Jones was consistently discussed in 2024 and 2025 as a power-first outfield prospect with rare physical tools rather than a finished product. His size-speed combination drew internal and external attention, and he was repeatedly mentioned in prospect rankings as one of the Yankees’ highest-upside position players. His name surfaced in high-octane trade speculations, but the club refused to move him.

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