It’s been over a month since the conclusion of the 2024 MLB Draft, and while the Yankees had a pitcher-heavy class, they were able to snag some interesting bats in the middle rounds. One of those names included Brendan Jones, a left-handed hitting outfielder out of Kansas State who was renowned for his excellent speed and defensive abilities in centerfield. A hot start in Tampa would earn him a promotion to High-A with the Hudson Valley Renegades, as while his numbers in Single-A were impressive, they were ultimately against inferior competition.
While the average is down since his promotion, his excellent strikeout-to-walk rates and solid game power have held their own thus far, and he’s showing off some skills that could project well at the upper levels of the Minor Leagues.
Brendan Jones Is Quickly Surging In the Yankees’ Organization
Between Single-A and High-A, the 22-year-old outfielder has a .283/.486/.509 slashline with a 188 wRC+, walking way more than he strikes out while also hitting for some power. A huge part of that is his batted-ball distribution, running a 50% flyball rate and a 26.3% line drive rate, but the impressive part in my eyes is that he’s doing this while pulling the ball 46.2% of the time. There are usually whiff problems with a profile based around getting out in front with a loft-oriented swing, but his 5.7% swinging strike rate indicates otherwise.
His .226 ISO is well above the average for the levels he plays at, and that means he’s generating a good amount of game power, with three doubles, three home runs, and three doubles in his first 17 games. If his process at the plate holds strong for the rest of the season, I’ll certainly create some more buzz around Brendan Jones, because it’s the kind that produces quality big-league bats. Steady in-zone contact while avoiding the pitfalls that usually come with it like a high groundball rate or poor power output track at every level, but it’s too small of a sample to know if this is a trend or a blip.
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The bat has been a nice surprise, but anyone who watched him at Kansas State (or has access to Baseball Reference) would know that he’s a very aggressive baserunner. He lapped the Big 12 in stolen bases, having double the steals of second place and it’s shown in his first few weeks as a professional as well. He already has 12 stolen bases in 17 games, not being caught once, and looking like one of the premier threats on the bases in the South Atlantic League already.
By being such an excellent athlete, Brendan Jones profiles very well for a position like centerfield where his speed and agility give him plenty of range to work with. Suppose he can be a positive defensive centerfielder. In that case, the floor for his outcome is a lot higher, as bad hitters get chances to play in the big leagues if they can field a premium position well. Of course, his speed could be valuable in pinch-running situations, especially with the bigger bags and the limitations on pick-off attempts.
We can’t know what exactly Brendan Jones can become, but his early results have certainly been very impressive. He doesn’t have the raw power of most top prospects, but he does bring a healthy amount of loft and pull-side contact to the table while also maintaining elite strikeout-to-walk rates. Combine that with a glove that could excel in centerfield and an ability to steal plenty of bases, he’s someone to keep an eye on in the Yankees’ organization.