New York Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones just landed himself a scary comparison.
Time is running out for New York Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones, who is no longer considered a genuinely elite prospect across baseball and has yet to make his big-league debut in spite of turning 25 years old this May.
Jones fell off MLB.com's top 100 list heading into 2026, and it's becoming increasingly obvious that his strikeout problem isn't going away after fanning 179 times over 506 plate appearances in the minor leagues last season.
Still, there is hope for Jones, especially considering that fellow outfielder Jasson Dominguez appears to be falling out of favor in the Bronx.
That being said, Jones will need to put together a spectacular showing in Spring Training to have a real chance of making the Yankees' major-league roster, and even then, he seems likely to begin the campaign in Triple-A.
But if Jones continues to falter, Alexander Wilson has envisioned a comparison that will surely terrify New York fans.
New York Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones. Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images."The Yankees are pitting him directly against Jasson Dominguez, who feels more like trade bait every day," Wilson wrote. "Jones fits the stadium better, but his 36.6% strikeout rate in Triple-A is the kind of number that gets you exposed in the majors. He has to trim that down, or he’s just Joey Gallo 2.0."
Yankees fans surely remember Gallo, who was acquired by the club midway through the 2021 campaign and had one of the most disastrous stints anyone can imagine.
While Gallo hit 13 home runs for New York across 228 trips to the dish in 2021, he batted just .160 with a .707 OPS. Then, the following year, Jones slashed .159/.282/.339 in 82 games before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Gallo struck out in 38.7 percent of his plate appearances with the Yanks, and the same fate may befall Jones if he doesn't begin to rectify his problem.
And by the way, Gallo is a pitcher now.
While none of this means Jones is doomed to become Gallo, it's hard not to see the parallels, as both players are big-bodied lefties with prodigious power and severe strikeout issues.
We'll see if Jones is able to open up some eyes this spring and potentially find his way on to the Yankees roster this season.
If not, Jones may end up getting dealt between now and the trade deadline.
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