For the Double-A Somerset Patriots, the regular season is now in the books. They advanced to the Eastern League playoffs and will proudly represent their parent club New York Yankees there. Top outfield prospect Spencer Jones will be leading the charge.
Yankees top prospect Spencer Jones completes a successful campaign in Double-A
Jones wrapped up what turned out to be a highly successful campaign in Double-A, one that didn’t have the best of starts but saw him adjust and get hot in the summer.
First, let’s get the negatives out of the way: the future Yankees star struck out a lot. A whole lot.
Jones’ strikeout rate in a short Double-A stint last year was a high, but still-manageable 28.2 percent. This year, trying a new swing path and approach, the number skyrocketed to 36.8 percent. It will be very hard for him to become an MLB star with such a marked swing-and-miss problem.
But the season, despite his contact issues, was filled with positive takeaways as the Patriots themselves posted on X. Here are his stats at the end of the regular season:
“Spencer Jones finished the regular season w/ 17 HR, 78 RBI, 125 H, 30 2B, 6 3B, 52 XBH, 218 TB & 73 R. EL ranks: RBI (2nd), H (3rd), 2B (T-1st), 3B (2nd), XBH (T-1st), TB (2nd) & R (3rd). Yankees’ @MiLB leaders: RBI (1st), H (2nd), 2B (T-2nd), XBH (1st), TB (1st) & R (T-3rd),” the Patriots wrote.
- Yankees improve bullpen depth with unexpected trade with Reds
- Yankees held meeting with star Japanese free agent yesterday
- Yankees proving to still be premier landing spot despite losing Soto
The Yankees have a promising one in Jones
Basically, the guy ranked in the top three in the Eastern League in RBI, hits, doubles, triples, extra-base hits, total bases, and runs scored. He also had a fantastic season and compared favorably to other Yankees prospects across the minor leagues.
Jones finished the Double-A campaign with a solid .259/.336/.452 line and a 124 wRC+, much better than the 104 mark he had in 17 games at the same level last season and the 104 he posted over 100 High-A games in 2023. Evidently, there has been growth as a player and as a hitter over the last year.
The Yankees are probably going to test him in Triple-A at some point, probably next year, but he will need to cut down on those strikeouts if he is going to force his way up eventually. Still, it’s hard not to get excited about how good he can be.
