The Yankees are seeing this outfield prospect quietly catch fire

Brendan Jones is one of the few position player prospects the Yankees selected in the 2024 MLB Draft, an undersized scrappy left-handed hitting outfielder from Nashville, Tennessee.

Taken in the 12th Round, Jones would have to exceed all expectations just to get to the show, and last season he made quite the impression after posting a .471 OBP and 172 wRC+ between Single-A and High-A.

The Yankees would have him work on some more swing adjustments over the winter, and while he had some bumps in High-A this year, they promoted him to Double-A Somerset swiftly.

While some of his teammates such as Rafael Flores and Roc Riggio spent over a season in High-A before being promoted, the Yankees moved Brendan Jones up with the same speed they moved up George Lombard Jr.

Drawing comparisons to Brett Gardner, Brendan Jones is someone the organization has displayed plenty of faith in, and as he’s started to heat up at this new level, he’s someone fans should start keeping serious tabs on.

Could Brendan Jones Be the Yankees’ Next Brett Gardner?

Since being promoted to Double-A, Brendan Jones has a 116 wRC+ with two home runs, two triples, and seven doubles in 28 games.

After going ice-cold in his first five games after the promotion, Jones is hitting .308 with a 170 wRC+, including a performance last night where he picked up seven total bases in just two trips to the plate.

His hands are deceptively quick, and the batted ball profile is much better than you would believe given that he was drafted out of TCU as more of a speed-contact hitter.

With a 45.9% Flyball Rate and 45.9% Pull Rate, Brendan Jones has a swing built for Yankee Stadium, and his excellent defense across three outfield positions to go with his speed could make for a very complete player.

Brendan Jones acknowledged himself in an interview we did on the Fireside Yankees podcast that “there was a lot of Brett Gardner” in his approach to the game, who he felt he played like in his career.

When comparing prospects to players who had brilliant careers in the big leagues, it often sets lofty expectations that they can’t be expected to live up to, but I like where the development path is headed for Jones.

Brett Gardner came up before the league could understand the value of launch angle, exit velocity, and game power, 116 of his 139 career home runs came during his 30s for a reason.

People can point to juiced baseballs, but even in 2021 when the balls were deadened he hit more home runs (10) than he had in any season during his 20s.

The Yankees have already helped Brendan Jones get more thump out of his swing, making it one that could feast on hanging breaking balls or middle-middle fastballs in Yankee Stadium.

It isn’t an all-or-nothing approach; Jones still possesses the brilliant bat-to-ball and baserunning abilities which allow him to shoot singles where the defense isn’t or beat out a slow roller.

He’s also a strong defender who prides himself on the ability to contribute with his glove, and these core skills of baserunning and defense should allow him to be big-leaguer down the road.

An undersized left-handed hitting outfielder who runs and fields well doesn’t always draw the Brett Gardner comparison, but rather the demeanor that comes with such a profile.

Identifying what kind of people can overperform the projections that their size place on them can be difficult, but the mild-mannered nature both athletes possess which mold into a fiercely competitive spirit on the diamond are eerily similar.

While you won’t see Brendan Jones bang the top of a clubhouse with his bat, you will see him dance off of first base eager to catch a defense slipping, or throwing his body on the line to make a play in the outfield.

It’s the kind of effort and tenacity you have to play with when you aren’t a physical specimen, and the Yankees do care about makeup for these reasons.

Analytics haven’t ushered out scouts, and the Yankees have internally held Brendan Jones in pretty high regard because of both what is and what is not measurable.

Every July is a bit of a stressful time for prospects; is Brendan Jones playing his way into a Major League role with the Yankees or a trade to a seller?

There’s no way to know the answer to that until that deadline comes and passes, but the Yankees have a gamer in Brendan Jones, and the Show could be waiting for him soon if he keeps mashing.