There is one thing that many New York Yankees fans simply will not admit when it comes to Spencer Jones.
The New York Yankees optioned outfielder Spencer Jones to Triple-A on Monday, a decision that came as a surprise to no one.
That includes Jones himself, who surely knew he would eventually be headed to the minor leagues when he began Spring Training.
The Yankees' decision to keep both Trent Grisham (whether or not it was intentional) and Cody Bellinger this offseason pretty much sealed Jones' fate, as there isn't a starting outfield job available for him, and New York was certainly not going to let him sit on the bench as a fourth outfielder.
The problem is that Jones turns 25 years old this May, so the sands of time are absolutely working against him. He has fallen off just about every top-100 prospect list you can imagine, and he isn't even viewed as as top-five prospect in the Yankees' own farm system any longer.
What's more, Jones' trade value has plummeted, this even though the 6-foot-7 slugger smashed 35 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A last season.
And if we're being honest, if the Yanks were extremely confident in Jones, they probably wouldn't have risked tendering Grisham the qualifying offer.
Let me say that I still think Jones has superstar potential. He has prodigious power, tremendous speed and impressive defensive chops. He has all of the tools needed to become a perennial All-Star on the major-league level.
New York Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones. Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images.The problem is that Jones still clearly needs more seasoning with the bat, which is why New York has still refused to promote him to the bigs.
Jones struck out in 35.4 percent of his plate appearances last season, which is a thoroughly alarming number. Yes, he cut down on his punchouts this spring, fanning 27.3 percent of the time, but that was also a very limited sample size. And let's face it: that's still a lot of strikeouts. It's just an improvement from where Jones was previously.
Yankees fans have been fawning over Jones ever since the team drafted him back in 2022, and many are frustrated with the fact that New York has not yet given him a chance to prove himself in the majors.
But clearly, the Yanks have their reasons. It's not because of poor player development. It's because they aren't sure he can handle big-league pitching just yet, and that's something some Yankees fans don't want to admit.
I actually do think New York made a mistake with Grisham. If I were Brian Cashman, I would have let Grisham walk and given Jones a chance. But Cashman was also potentially guarding against the possibility of Bellinger also departing, so in a sense, I do understand the Grisham decision, even thought I am against it.
However, for as much as everyone wants to rave about Jones' potential, the fact of the matter is that he is now well into his mid 20s and still hasn't sniffed the Show.
Say what you want about the Yankees organization, but there is a reason for its trepidation surrounding Jones.
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