16 articles
NYY • Pitcher • #76
1 day ago
One of the most polarizing prospects in baseball, Jones combines top-of-the-scale raw power with abysmal contact skills. The 24-year-old slugging prospect is capable of making some serious noise, especially in hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium, if he’s able to make enough contact to survive at the highest level. He’s the ultimate high-risk prospect for fantasy purposes. Rodríguez made a serious leap last season into one of the organization’s top pitching prospects, compiling a 2.58 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 176/57 K/BB ratio across 150 innings over 27 appearances (26 starts) between three levels.
NYY • Pitcher • #76
2 months ago
Since August 1st, Jones has gone 32-for-162 (.197) with four home runs, 16 RBI, and a 79/13 K/BB ratio. More and more, it’s looking like his hot start at Triple-A was a bit of a mirage, and the contact issues continue to be a concern.
NYY • Pitcher • #76
3 months ago
After getting off to a torrid start when he was first called up to Triple-A, Jones is slashing .172/.245/.299 in 87 at-bats in August. He has three home runs in the month but also has 34 strikeouts to just seven walks, which highlights to major contact issues that have been a part of his profile as a prospect. There is no denying the raw tools, but Jones is a volatile prospect based on his major swing-and-miss concerns.
NYY • Pitcher • #76
3 months ago
Jones remains one of the most challenging prospects to forecast from a pure fantasy perspective as he combines top-of-the-scale raw power with abysmal contact skills. The 24-year-old slugging prospect could receive a late-season cameo with the Yankees, but their outfield mix is overcrowded already. It’s easy to envision him as an extremely streaky power bat whose highs and lows figure to be more boom-or-bust peaks and valleys than steady ebbs and flows.
NYY • Pitcher • #76
3 months ago
He also struck out twice, so it was a bit of a complete Spencer Jones game. The 24-year-old has cooled off after his hot stretch to begin his Triple-A career and is just 5-for-38 (.132) in August with one home run, seven steals, and a 13/6 K/BB ratio. The power and speed will never go away, but he’s going to need to make more consistent contact before an MLB call-up.
NYY • Pitcher • #76
4 months ago
In his last five games, Jones has gone 2-for-16 with five strikeouts and two walks. Just five strikeouts in five games is a positive sign for Jones, but it was only a matter of time before he cooled off from his absurd hot streak to start his Triple-A career. The 24-year-old has a 67 percent contact rate and 17.3 percent swinging strike rate during his 24 games at Triple-A, so we should expect to see the batting average continue to fall a bit in the coming weeks.
NYY • Pitcher • #76
4 months ago
Jones returns to the lineup following a two-game absence due to back spasms. The 24-year-old slugger has been on an other-worldly power surge of late at the Triple-A level with 13 home runs in just 19 games since being promoted back in late June. There’s a chance the Yankees bring him up at some point in late August since it wouldn’t impact his rookie eligibility status for next year.
Source: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
NYY • Pitcher • #76
4 months ago
There doesn’t appear to be any truth to social media speculation that Jones was pulled from Friday’s lineup because of a potential trade. The 24-year-old slugging prospect has crushed 13 home runs in 19 games at the Triple-A level, but has also struck out 31 percent of the time during that span. The 6-foot-7 power hitter’s omnipresent contact issues remain his largest obstacle to sustained fantasy relevance at the highest level, but his over-the-fence power ceiling is virtually unmatched in the prospect landscape.
NYY • Pitcher • #76
4 months ago
The three homers came in his first three at-bats of the game. Jones has now hit 13 homers in his time with the RailRiders in just 19 games, and 29 homers in 68 games overall. The 6-foot-7 outfielder has enormous power, and the breakout season everyone has been ready for since he was drafted in the first-round back in 2022 appears to be happening. Jones is the subject of trade rumors, but the Yankees are going to need something very shiny in order to give up his services before the deadline.
NYY • Pitcher • #76
4 months ago
Jones has been on an absolute tear, launching 10 homers in 13 games since the start of July to tie for the minor league lead with 26 round-trippers in just 65 games this season. The power potential is legitimate and gives him clear fantasy upside, but even during this torrid stretch at Triple-A, he has just a 65 percent contact rate and an 18 percent swinging strike rate. The swing-and-miss concerns and shaky plate discipline raise questions about whether the hit tool will play in the majors. He’s the ultimate high-variance stash candidate with massive pop and equally massive strikeout risk.
NYY • Pitcher • #76
4 months ago
Jones kicked off a monster four-hit performance with his 24th round-tripper of the season, which traveled an impressive 433 feet to straightaway center field. The 24-year-old slugger has been one of the most polarizing and divisive prospects in the fantasy landscape for a couple years at this juncture. He checked in as the 44th-ranked prospect in Rotoworld’s midseason dynasty rankings update. The stratospheric over-the-fence pop is undeniable, but the big question persists whether he’ll make enough contact to be an impact contributor at the highest level. It feels like we’re going to get the answer regarding his all-or-nothing profile at some point in the near future, possible in the second half or early next season, if the Yankees feel like giving him an extended look.
NYY • Pitcher • #76
4 months ago
The 24-year-old is now hitting .362/.426/.776 in 14 games at Triple-A with seven home runs, 15 RBI, and six steals. He has some very loud raw tools that hint at stardom, but he also has 20 strikeouts in those 14 Triple-A games with just a 64 percent overall contact rate and a nearly 19 percent swinging strike rate. He had just a 58 percent contact rate and an 18.5 percent swinging strike rate at Double-A before his promotion. It’s rare for a player with such a poor contact profile to succeed at the big league level with any consistency.
NYY • Pitcher • #76
4 months ago
Jones now has five home runs and a .385/.469/.846 slash line in 10 games since being promoted to Triple-A. However, now may be the best time for the Yankees to try and trade away the 24-year-old. They don’t have a spot open in the outfield, and Jones has 15 strikeouts and a 17 percent swinging strike rate in those 10 Triple-A games. It’s generally hard for hitters with just a 60 percent overall contact rate to succeed when they get to the big league level, but Jones could be used to bring back an intriguing starting pitcher for a beleaguered rotation.
NYY • Pitcher • #76
5 months ago
The 24-year-old has gotten off to a strong start at Triple-A, going 6-for-16 with three home runs and three RBI. He also has seven strikeouts in four games and remains a major swing-and-miss risk after posting an 18.5 percent swinging strike rate at Double-A as a 24-year-old. With no obvious spot in the outfield, you wonder if the Yankees would use this hot streak by Jones to try and move him at the deadline for an infield bat that could help the Yankees this season.
NYY • Pitcher • #76
5 months ago
Jones’ home run was off rehabbing starter Tanner Houck, and he now has 18 on the year in the minor leagues. While the power is impressive, Jones also had a 34 percent strikeout rate at Double-A and has six strikeouts in three games at Triple-A. He also had an outrageous 18.5 percent swinging strike rate in Double-A, so it’s unlikely that Jones ever hits for a passable average at the big league level, but the power should carry over.
NYY • Pitcher • #76
5 months ago
If anything, this is overdue, as Jones has been excellent in Double-A this year after reaching the level late in the 2023 season. He was hitting .274/.389/.594 with 16 homers in 49 games for Somerset. His 34 percent strikeout rate remains a big concern, but at least that’s a little better than last year’s mark of 37 percent.
Source: Andy Martino