New York Yankees' Spencer Jones Delusion Coming Full Circle

Let me be the first to admit that I, too, was wrong about New York Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones. At least this spring.

I, too, was fooled by Jones' brilliant power display in Spring Training, where the former top prospect was appearing to solve his strikeout woes while demonstrating impressive plate discipline in addition to tearing the cover off the ball.

And I also felt that Jones' showing in Tampa indicated that he may very well have been the Yankees' center fielder of the future.

But here we are in the early stages of the 2026 campaign, and it's beginning to look more and more like I was wrong and the Yankees were wrong ... and the rest of Major League Baseball was right.

Jones did have a monster game on Saturday, going 3-for-4 with a home run and five RBI for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but don't let his one strong performance hoodwink you. The overall metrics aren't looking good.

The 24-year-old does own an .868 OPS through 13 games this season, but he has also struck out 23 times over 57 plate appearances. That's good for a strikeout rate of 40.4 percent, an area that just keeps getting worse for Jones.

I still think the 6-foot-7, 240-pound slugger has tremendous talent. He obviously has elite power, and his athleticism is ridiculous. That's why I've held out hope that he actually could develop into a star player for New York.

But there is also a reason why just about every respected publication has removed Jones from their top-100 prospect lists. There is also a reason why he has not yet hit the big leagues in spite of being a month away from turning 25 years old.

The Yankees could have traded Jones in past years, but they opted to make him virtually untouchable. They probably could have had Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara — who has been on a warpath since the second half of last year — last summer had they been willing to move Jones. But they didn't budge.

It has become a recurring theme for the Yanks, who tend to hold on to their prospects far too long. It then reaches the point where the farmhands have lost most of their value. While Jones still has some cachet, it's clear that the league is down on him.

Heck, the Yankees might be, too. If New York really thought Jones was the answer, would it have extended a $22 million qualifying offer to Trent Grisham?

There is no question that potential is there with Jones, and I think everyone can see it. But everyone can also see the holes in his game, particularly when it comes to his failure to make consistent contact.

If Jones is fanning at a 40 percent clip in the minor leagues, what will he do once he reaches the Show?

Perhaps the former first-round pick will turn things around, but we have been saying that for years now. It hasn't happened.

We might just have to accept the fact that Jones will never be Aaron Judge 2.0. We also might have to accept that his value has diminished to the point where he can no longer be a centerpiece in a superstar trade.

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