New York Yankees prospect Spencer Jones has made a significant change.
The 2025 MLB season could ultimately serve as a do-or-die year for New York Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones, a top prospect who has still not yet hit the major leagues in spite of turning 25 years old this May.
While Jones is still highly regarded in the Yankees' system, he has fallen off considerably on the national radar, failing to make top-100 lists across various oulets.
Jones slashed .274/.362/.571 with 35 home runs and 80 RBI over 506 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A last season, but strikeouts remained a crippling problem for the 6-foot-7 slugger.
The 6-foot-7 slugger fanned 179 times in 2025, representing the primary reason why he has not reached the show just yet.
To counteract his strikeout woes, Jones has made a significant change during the offseason: he has altered his swing.
More specifically, Jones has removed a leg lift from his motion, which Alexander Wilson of Empire Sports Media explained.
New York Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones. Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images."Instead, the Yankees clearly feel he doesn’t need to load his lower body as aggressively, given his natural strength," Wilson wrote. "The adjustment maintains a more stable base to increase contact, an approach that directly mirrors Aaron Judge’s setup at the plate."
Both Judge and Giancarlo Stanton rely on similar approaches, employing a powerful swing in one fluid motion rather than depending too heavily on their lower bodies.
"Jones’ new swing adopts these same principles," Wilson added. "By eliminating the leg kick, he’s removing a timing variable that can throw off his swing when pitchers change speeds or manipulate sequencing."
Obviously, Judge and Stanton strike out quite a bit themselves, but they are also established elite hitters. And for as much as Judge and Stanton may whiff, Jones' issue is considerably worse.
Jones lays claim to a lifetime strikeout rate of 32.8 percent in the minors, and that number was at 35.4 percent last season. Clearly, the Vanderbilt product has not shown any improvement in that area.
Hopefully, Jones' adjustment in mechanics results in more contact and far less strikeouts, which could ultimately lead to the former first-round pick finally hitting the big leagues at some point in 2026.
Yankees Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Yankees. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.