Spencer Jones Is Building More Than Power-He’s Building a Game That Lasts
Spring training is full of storylines, especially when you're the New York Yankees and your outfield is as stacked as a fantasy team. With Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton locked in, and both Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham returning after strong 2025 seasons, there’s hardly room to breathe in the outfield depth chart.
Jasson Domínguez might even start the year in Triple-A Scranton. But the real headline out of Tampa isn’t who’s in or out of the Opening Day roster-it’s what Spencer Jones is doing to make sure he becomes impossible to ignore.
Jones, the 6-foot-7, 235-pound slugger who mashed 35 home runs last season across Double-A and Triple-A, isn’t just focused on hitting bombs this spring. He’s laser-focused on stealing bases. Yes, really.
“I think the biggest thing for me this spring is to focus on the little things that I do well: hitting the ball, playing good defense, and stealing bases,” Jones said earlier this week. On its face, that might sound like standard spring training talk. But dig a little deeper, and it tells you everything you need to know about why Jones is such a fascinating prospect.
A Power-Speed Combo That’s Rare Air
Let’s not bury the lede: Jones isn’t just a big guy who runs well for his size-he’s a legitimate basestealing threat. Over the past two seasons, he’s swiped 72 bags.
In 2025 alone, he was successful on 29 of 35 attempts, good for an 82.9% success rate. That’s elite.
To put it in perspective, that clip would’ve ranked seventh in the majors last season. Better than Elly De La Cruz, who’s built like a track star.
Jones? He’s built like a tight end.
This isn’t just about raw speed-it’s about instincts, timing, and first-step explosiveness. Jones has been working on all of it.
The tape from last season shows a player who’s reading pitchers better, getting sharper jumps, and understanding when to take his shot. That’s not usually what you get from a guy who hits 35 homers and posts a 153 wRC+.
And that’s what makes Jones so intriguing. The Yankees aren’t just grooming a slugger-they’re developing a five-tool weapon.
Yes, he strikes out a lot-35.4% of the time, to be exact-but that’s not the whole story. He’s actively expanding his game, not just leaning on the power that already makes him dangerous.
Why the Basestealing Focus Matters
When a power hitter starts refining the finer points of baserunning, it changes how teams defend him. It forces managers to think twice about shifting or pitching around him. Suddenly, he’s not just a threat to go deep-he’s a threat to take an extra base, disrupt timing, and create chaos on the basepaths.
Jones is doing the work most prospects overlook. Everyone expects him to work on his swing-he’s done that, too.
But he’s also spending real time on secondary leads, jump mechanics, and base-stealing reads. That’s the kind of attention to detail that turns a prospect into a big-league mainstay.
This is the evolution teams crave in the modern game. It’s not enough to hit for power anymore.
The best players today do a little bit of everything. Jones seems to get that.
And he’s attacking spring training like someone who knows what’s on the line.
The Outfield Logjam Isn’t a Problem-It’s a Catalyst
Yes, the Yankees have a crowded outfield. And yes, it’s possible Jasson Domínguez starts the year in Triple-A. But that doesn’t mean the Yankees are blocking their young talent-it means they’re pushing them.
Jones doesn’t need to make the Opening Day roster to win. What he needs is consistent at-bats in Triple-A to keep refining his plate discipline.
The strikeouts are real, and they’re going to be part of his game. But if he keeps rounding out the rest of his profile-stealing bases, improving defensively, and making pitchers uncomfortable-the Yankees will have no choice but to find room for him.
And here’s the thing: if Jones hits 30-plus homers, swipes 20-plus bags, and plays solid defense in right field, he’s not just a fun story-he’s a cornerstone. That kind of production, especially from a cost-controlled player, is worth $15-20 million a year on the open market. That’s the kind of asset teams build around.
Brian Cashman knows it. The player development staff knows it. And based on the way Jones is talking about “the little things,” he knows it too.
The Bottom Line
Spencer Jones isn’t just trying to make the team-he’s trying to change the way we think about him. He’s not content being a power bat with holes in his swing. He’s working to be a complete player, one who forces his way into the Yankees’ plans not just with tape-measure shots, but with smart baserunning, better defense, and a relentless drive to improve.
The strikeouts might never go away completely. But if Jones keeps building out the rest of his game, he won’t need to be perfect at the plate to be a problem for opposing pitchers. He’ll just need to be himself-a rare blend of size, speed, and upside that’s becoming harder and harder to ignore.