Spencer Jones hits 3 homers, Baseball America to re-add him to top-100 prospect list
Jones, the Yankees' No. 3 prospect according to Baseball America, clobbered three home runs against the Washington Nationals' Triple-A affiliate. Jones now has 29 home runs in 68 games across Double A and Triple A. In Triple A alone, Jones has 13 home runs in 19 games. Baseball America announced Thursday afternoon that Jones will re-enter its top-100 prospects list when it's revealed next week.
🚨 Spencer Jones is making his case with a THREE-HOMER GAME! 🚨#WhereLegendsRise #RepBX pic.twitter.com/cOpyYO4DWj
— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) July 24, 2025
This year has turned into a breakout season for the 24-year-old, who has now maximized his power potential. In 2024, Jones only hit 17 home runs in 122 games. He also set a Yankees minor-league record for striking out 200 times in a single season. Jones has cut down his strikeout rate from 36.8 percent last season to 31.3 percent this year, entering Thursday. The biggest change for him in 2025 is his new exaggerated open stance.
Advertisement
'I think it's helped a lot,' Jones told The Athletic earlier this week. 'In spring, there were issues with my ability to recognize pitches and make a decision right away. Where I'm at now, people may look at it and think it's not simple, but the move and the way it works is very simple. I kind of just move my body, let myself see the pitch and let my body swing. That's where it's been. I am glad to have been able to produce the results I have.'
Even with his otherworldly production in the minors this season, there remain questions about his viability when he reaches the major leagues. There are 35 current and former MLB players who posted at least one season with at least a 31 percent strikeout rate. The median slash line for those players is .229/.303/.423, according to Baseball America. Of those 35, most players fixed their strikeout problem in the year before reaching the big leagues, but Jones still has alarming contact-quantity metrics that make him arguably the most perplexing prospect.
The trade deadline is one week away, and the Yankees have several needs they need to fill (third baseman, starting pitching and bullpen). In Jones, they have an intriguing prospect who has clear flaws, which means they could sell high if they wanted. But Jones is someone who could be the club's long-term answer in center field if everything clicks for him. It would be surprising if Jones were traded for a rental player like Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez.
Jones did not push back on the notion that he needs more time developing in the minors to fix some of his flaws, but he did say that he'll be ready for the call to the big leagues whenever it happens.
'I've always believed whenever the time comes, the time comes,' Jones said. 'All I can do in the meantime is to maximize myself and my development and get to a place where I'm fully confident in what I can do. Ultimately, that's going to be the guy who produces in the major leagues. The goal is to always keep learning and keep growing and when the time comes, don't stop.'
(Photo of Spencer Jones during spring training: Kim Klement Neitzel / Imagn Images)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
2 minutes ago
- New York Times
The good, the bad and the ugly of the Giants' 2025 trade deadline
It wasn't a complete teardown, that much is clear. When Buster Posey was asked during a post-deadline press conference if the Giants planned to contend in 2026, he started repeating 'yes' before the question was even half-finished. A complete rebuild would have meant dealing Robbie Ray, who instead will be around to help next season. The 2026 Giants are still planning to win. That's the biggest organizational story of the deadline. Advertisement It's a story that will get lost in the dust kicked up by the more obvious story, though, which is that the Giants were also moderately aggressive sellers at the deadline. They didn't give up on the 2025 season, but they didn't not give up on it, either. They traded Mike Yastrzemski and Tyler Rogers, two long-tenured fan favorites and pending free agents. They traded Camilo Doval, under team control through 2027. Both Posey and GM Zack Miniasian raved about the prospects they got back from the Yankees in return for Doval, even if our own Keith Law is less impressed. Let's try to make sense of all this. Let's look at what was good, bad and ugly about the Giants at the 2025 MLB trade deadline. An important consolation prize following a brutal collapse and reversal of expectations. There will be shiny new prospects and players with which to entertain the masses, and there's always a chance that one of them starts hitting or pitching well right out of the gate. There's also a much, much stronger chance that they'll initially be overmatched in the major leagues, which are hard, but that's OK. It'll still be compelling baseball. Drew Gilbert is an obvious replacement for Yastrzemski, and not only because he's a left-handed outfielder. He has a remarkably similar profile to Yastrzemski, doing a little bit of everything well, which makes up for the lack of a standout tool or the ability to hit left-handers. The Giants specifically mentioned catcher-infielder Jesús Rodríguez, one of the prospects from the Yankees, as someone they're excited about. He's a right-handed hitter with the ability to catch, and the Giants currently have a catcher who doesn't have much ability to hit right handed. That's not to say the Giants are going to make an immediate move, but he's already on the 40-man roster, and the fit would certainly be there in September. Blade Tidwell is also already on the 40-man roster, and he appeared in the majors for the Mets this season. He has some goofy stuff, and here's some of it against a team the Giants just faced: Just a cool 98-mph fastball with a tight 90-mph slider. That should work. What's the catch, you might ask? Well, he has no idea where the ball is going a lot of the time, and while you'll probably see him start some games over the next two months, his future will be in the bullpen until he can throw strikes for six innings. Advertisement Most of the teams who were buyers at the deadline aren't even worried what their new players will do over the next two months. They'll be far more concerned about whatever they're going to do on Oct. 8, or what have you. If you think you have any idea what a baseball player is going to do in two hours, much less two months, good luck. The entire deadline is ridiculous. But one thing that makes contending teams feel better about themselves is stocking up on high-leverage bullpen arms. There are always monsters in the closet and under the bed of every postseason team, but getting a bunch of late-inning help is like closing the closet door, at least. That's why the Mets added Ryan Helsley in addition to Rogers, and it's why the Padres parted with one of the best prospects in baseball to get Mason Miller. They're not going to be stuck in 2031, wondering what would have happened if they could hold a lead in 2025. Doval is under contract for two more seasons, which goes against the 'we'll be back in 2026' line, but relievers are a different kind of story. In theory, it's better to sell bullpen arms a year or two too soon rather than a year too late. I'm old enough to remember when Ryan Walker had one of the best relief seasons in Giants history. These sorts of things can change quickly, so if a reliever isn't in your long-term plans, collect prospects and find another one. I've been on the What About a Doval Trade? beat since 2023, and I'm always quick to hop on the Trade Every Reliever bandwagon when the timing and prices are right. Except Tyler Rogers. That one stings. Good luck, wacky baseball man. The Giants are high on Jesús Rodríguez and a lot of the other prospects, but the return still feels light for premium reliever they didn't have to trade. That's based on industry consensus, not my own learned opinions, so take this with the level of seriousness it deserves. I'm not the one out there with a radar gun, scouting these prospects. The Giants were, and they felt it was an offer you can't refuse. When a guy from New York offers one of those, you take it. Advertisement If you missed the link to Law's analysis up there, here it is again. It's not very encouraging. Although I will agree that the dream of Rodríguez is a very beautiful one. The idea of a catcher hopping from out behind the plate to field other positions when needed, something like a vintage Daulton Varsho, but for the infield. At the very least, he should be should be an outstanding complement to Patrick Bailey, even if the youngster will have to keep catching to hold most of his future value. Posey said he'd talked to Justin Verlander in the offseason about what the Giants might do in a hypothetical deadline, but that he didn't bring it up in the past month. My guess is Verlander didn't want to be traded, and the Giants weren't keen on replacing his innings elsewhere. It's not like he was going to get much more than a PTBNL-type prospect back, even with the Giants paying some salary down. It's less a matter of will or desire to trade the rentals, and more of a matter of fit and respect. And if it's even worth the effort. So this isn't a lamentation that the Giants didn't trade these players, per se. More like it's a shame that they couldn't or didn't. It leaves the team simultaneously stuck in this season and preparing for the next one. It's always possible they'll re-sign someone like Verlander or Wilmer Flores (or Rogers or Yastrzemski, for that matter), but until then, they're a part of the ghost crew on a ghost ship that's already pointed toward the Winter Meetings. Ugly, ugly, ugly. The Rafael Devers trade felt like such a transformative moment for the franchise, an announcement that they were going to start doing the same hilarious, gluttonous moves that their NL West rivals were known for. When they made the deal, they were 11 games over .500 and a game out of first place. They were playin' with the big boys. And then … they did whatever that is. The worst part about it is there really isn't anyone to blame. You know Devers will start hitting. Willy Adames was one of the only Giants helping out in July, so he's at least partially off the hook. It's not like you're going to blame Logan Webb for anything but enjoying baseball more. Plus, you have to applaud the front office and ownership for being aggressive. So who's the villain? Who's a scapegoat that Giants fans can yell at? Not sure if there is one, which is what has made this such an unusual collapse. There's no easy fixes, and there's no obvious organizational malpractice that gets you from the end of last season to today. Doesn't mean it isn't ugly, though. Doesn't mean it isn't ugly. This one gets its own category.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Yankees add Jake Bird from Colorado as another bullpen arm
NEW YORK (PIX11) — The New York Yankees doubled down on their need for bullpen help before the MLB trade deadline, acquiring Jake Bird from the Colorado Rockies. In 45 games for Colorado, Bird pitched to a 4.57 ERA with 62 strikeouts. The four-year veteran has collected 212 strikeouts in his career. Tyler Rogers traded to New York Mets ahead of deadline The Yankees are sending back No. 10 prospect Roc Riggio and left-handed pitcher Ben Shields in exchange for Bird. Riggio, 23, has risen to Double-A in 2025 with 18 home runs and 45 runs batted in with a .937 OPS at the second base position. Ben Shields, the Yankees' No. 28 prospect, has only pitched in nine games in 2025, but pitched to a 3.48 ERA in 26 appearances in 2024. Spencer Gustafson is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered New York state and city news since 2023. See more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Jose Caballero trade gives Yankees new life after failed Oswald Peraza tenure
Access the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees. Try it free José Caballero smiled, no longer needing a translator for this answer. 'I was winning today regardless,' Caballero said. Advertisement He started the day on the losing side. He finished on the winning side. Oswald Peraza's failed Yankees tenure is over. But the Yankees replaced him with a new utilityman — from the opposing dugout — in Caballero. Advertisement 5 José Caballero hits an infield single during the eighth inning against the Yankees. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect They traded Peraza to the Angels just ahead of the deadline Thursday in exchange for outfield prospect Wilberson De Pena and international money. Then they brought in the speedy Caballero from the Rays — whom the Yankees beat 7-4 on Thursday afternoon in The Bronx — for outfield prospect Everson Pereira and a player to be named later. Advertisement Caballero, who said he grew up a Yankees fan, could be seen hugging teammates in the Rays dugout after getting pulled from the game and learning of the news. His commute to his new team couldn't have been easier, only needing to go from the visiting to home team clubhouse at Yankee Stadium. 5 Rays shortstop José Caballero gets hugs goodbye in his dugout when he learns he's been traded to the Yankees during the Bombers' 7-4 win on July 31, 2025. Robert Sabo for NY Post 'Everything happened so quickly,' Caballero said through translator Marlon Abreu. 'You have to pick up and move over, switch teams and now you gotta give your best and hopefully bring a championship to this city. Advertisement 'I like to play the game hard. I like to compete. I like to give everything I have. I like winning.' Peraza, still just 25, had been one of the Yankees' top prospects in recent years — No. 2 in 2022 and No. 3 in 2023, per MLB Pipeline — but has struggled mightily in the majors. Now, he gets a shot to salvage his career on the West Coast. 5 Oswald Peraza #18 of the New York Yankees plays third base during the first inning. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS After the Yankees DFA'd DJ LeMahieu earlier this month, Peraza got a run of starts at third base with an opportunity to win the job. But he had brutal production at the plate and made several mistakes in the field, doing nothing to prove he can be a long-term answer at the position. And the Yankees' decision to acquire third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Rockies meant Peraza's role was again diminished. 5 Oswald Peraza reacts after lining out to third in the fourth inning of the Yankees' loss to the Cubs on July 11, 2025. AP Advertisement 'I'll be forever grateful to the Yankees organization for giving me an opportunity to embark on my career,' Peraza said through the translator. 'Just grateful for that. It's kind of tough, my energy level might be a little low right now, but everything happens for a reason and I keep moving forward.' Caballero will fill the backup shortstop and third baseman void left by Peraza's departure, but he has plenty of defensive versatility. 5 Rays infielder José Caballero was traded to the Yankees in the middle of the Bombers' win on July 31, 2025. JASON SZENES/ NY POST Beyond those two positions, he has played all three outfield spots along with second base. Advertisement He entered Thursday with an MLB-high 34 steals and led the American League with 44 last year. Go beyond the box score with the Bombers Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Check out more newsletters He owns a .226/.311/.331 slash line this year with a .638 OPS. 'With José Caballero, we got a nice athletic infielder that can defend and pinch-run at a high level,' general manager Brian Cashman said. 'So that's a nice weapon.' Advertisement Cashman insisted that the addition of Caballero was not related to the recent defensive struggles of shortstop Anthony Volpe — who the organization has staunchly defended throughout — and was more about improving the Yankees' versatility, depth and speed off the bench. Caballero also has minor league options remaining, giving the Yankees greater roster flexibility than they had with Peraza (who was out of options).
