Jason Burgos
An MLB prospect expert believes New York Yankees Triple-A star Spencer Jones has a ton of potential. But he also believes the youngster could easily flop big time in the Bronx.
This week, Jasson Dominguez endeared himself to Yankees fans when he went all out to make a catch during a game against the Texas Rangers. In the process of making, probably, the best catch of his career, he sustained a low-grade left AC joint sprain in his knee and is expected to be sidelined for weeks.
To fill his spot on the roster, the Yankees are pulling the trigger on something New York fans have wanted to see for a couple of years: Top star Aaron Judge in the same outfield with stud prospect Spencer Jones. The pair of 6-foot-7 sluggers will now bookend the Yanks’ outfield for the foreseeable future.
Yankees fans have heard about Jones and his big power for the last few years. He has been a top prospect in their system and has been as close to untouchable as a minor leaguer gets for the franchise. So, the expectations are high as he joins a 26-12 team in a pennant chase.
Spencer Jones could be the next Rece Hinds?
Following the news of his promotion on Friday, Baseball America editor-in-chief JJ Cooper spoke to the Foul Territory Show about Jones. The prospect expert admitted that Jones “scares” him because, in his time in the role, he has never seen a player with a wider range of possible career outcomes.
He made it clear he will come nowhere near being as good as Judge, but he does believe he can be a player who hits 25 to 30 homers in the big leagues. But he added that he can also have a similar performance as Cincinnati Reds prospect Rece Hinds. A player who was a beast in the minors but has a .172 average in 51 games played over the last three seasons.
The big reason why he is so unsure about Jones is not just because of his high strikeout rate that could lead to 0-4 with 4 Ks days, but it’s his miss rate in the zone. Jones has one of the highest in the minor leagues. Cooper finished by noting there is “massive potential but also massive risk” in Spencer Jones’ promotion to the Yankees’ big league roster this week.
