2024 MLB Prospect Profile: Yankees OF Spencer Jones

The 2024 MLB and MiLB campaigns are nearing, so it’s time to take a look at some names to watch for next year. One of those names is Yankees prospect Spencer Jones, who had a strong year in 2023 between High-A and Double-A. Here’s our overview of Yankees outfield prospect Spencer Jones for 2024, including a scouting report, grades, and a potential ETA for the 22-year-old.

Scouting Report

I got a chance to watch Yankees outfield prospect Spencer Jones in August of 2023 while the former first-round pick was with Hudson Valley (High-A).

During that game, Jones put on quite a show. On August 20 against the Brooklyn Cyclones, Jones tallied three hits, a stolen base, and a home run off a 93 MPH fastball.

Jones is a mountain of a man at 6’6”, so it’s not much of a shock to think that the 22-year-old would have above-average raw power. That power began to show up in his draft year when he posted a .644 SLG in his junior season at Vanderbilt.

The Yankees prospect can drive the ball to all fields, but his stroke to the pull side should make him a good fit at Yankee Stadium once he ultimately does arrive in The Bronx.

Strikeouts were a problem for Jones in 2023, as he went down on strikes 155 times over 117 games. On the flip side, Jones walked 49 times over 537 plate appearances (9.1 BB%)

The 22-year-old Jones does have good overall discipline. Now, there were a couple of times in our viewing of Jones where the Yankees prospect did want to swing at pitches out of the zone but did hold up at the last second. But from a broader point of view, Jones showed good control of the zone for a young slugger.

Defensively, Jones does have the range and speed at present to play center thanks to above-average athleticism. It’s rare for players as tall as Jones to play center, but the Yankees know well that it can be done.

Grades

Here are our future grades for Spencer Jones:

Hit: 50
Power: 60
Speed: 55
Field: 50
Eye: 55

Jones projects to be a solid Major Leaguer, one who should be able to hit for power — think 25-30 home runs — at the highest level. And as I mentioned in the scouting report portion of Yankees prospect Spencer Jones’ profile, his above-average speed makes him an anomaly for a 6’6” slugger. However, that speed tool will likely drop down as the years go on.

Should that happen, Jones would likely slot better in a corner spot. However, the presence of a certain Yankees phenom could mean that Jones would slot there any way in The Bronx.

There is All-Star potential for Jones.

ETA

The 2022 first-round pick made it Double-A in his first full pro season, after a strong run with Hudson Valley (High-A). Jones was able to hit for both contact and power with the Renegades, and his early returns with the Patriots — a .261/.333/.406 slash line with three home runs in 17 games — were good, as well.

Jones could be a factor for the Yankees at some point in 2024, following a similar path as fellow prospects Austin Wells and Jasson Dominguez. Those two moved from Double-A to the Majors last year and Jones could do the same.

However, it would seem more likely that Jones will get his first true run as a Major Leaguer in 2025. The 22-year-old has played just 17 games above High-A ball and the Yankees’ depth for 2024 should be enough provided everyone stays healthy. As of now, the Yankees project to have an outfield of Aaron Judge, Alex Verdugo, and Juan Soto.