Spin for Stars: #36 - Spencer Jones
Spin for Stars: #36 - Spencer Jones
I’m a little sweaty writing this one and it has nothing to do with the unseasonable temperature and humidity in Minnesota this weekend. Spencer Jones is one of the most beloved players in our community, earning a near cult following among a contingent of Dynasty Dugout subscribers. There’s some pressure to justify his ranking and ultimately do his profile justice.
As a reminder, this series is based on the spin of a random number wheel and is an exercise in diving deeper on prospects between full rank updates. The wheel is numbered 1 to 300, so we’ll get a wide array of names as we progress, and it might lead to rank changes in real time. Special thank you to @Pop in the Dynasty Dugout discord group for the spin that led to Jones’ write-up. I know Sam (@silversnail) appreciates it!
Spencer Jones, Outfielder
Team: New York Yankees
Age / Height / Weight: 22, 6’7, 225 lbs
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Overall Prospect Rank: 36
Positional Prospect Rank: 11
Spencer Jones is a man of extremes. The first is evident by looking at him – he’s enormous. He stands 6-foot-7, 225 lbs, and there are no questions for me about his measurements like there often are with minor leaguers. Ryan Bliss was previously listed at 5-foot-9 but was updated to 5-foot-6 when measured officially to calibrate for the automatic ball-strike system. I don’t see any mysterious shrinking in Jones’ future.
His frame may lead you to believe that he’s a plodder destined for relegation to first base, where he would be an excellent target for throws across the diamond. That doesn’t seem likely, either. Jones underwent athletic testing with Loden Sports before the 2022 draft and was classified as a nine on their 1-10 scale, a composite score comprised of Power, Quickness, and Speed measurements. His score put him in the top 0.82% of all athletes. Even more impressive: he classified as a 9 in both Power and Speed, something only 0.22% of athletes accomplish.
So he’s got an outlier frame and outlier athleticism. That isn’t the end of the extremes, though. His tenure at Vanderbilt fits the definition squarely. He started his collegiate career as a two-way player and was shelved for a significant amount of time after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2020. He didn’t become an everyday player until 2022, but the year he had was scintillating. He slashed .370/.460/.644 for a 1.104 OPS while putting 22 balls in play over 110 mph and smoking 45% of his batted balls over 100 mph. Tantalizing promise, injury, and a return to compelling promise.
Jones is a divisive prospect. He’s been productive as a professional, logging a career line of .292/.358/.513 in 377 plate appearances split across Rookie Ball, Single-A, and High-A. He’s done so while battling strikeout issues compounded by his size and length; he has to contend with a larger zone, and his levers make it difficult to turn on pitches in on his hands. Jones has struck out in 33.6% of his plate appearances in 2023 and hasn’t found the correct adjustments in the young season to right the ship. Still, there are reasons for optimism: he may be one of the rare hitters who can thrive with a high-20% K-rate, he’s had far less experience as a hitter than most third-year college draftees, and he’s demonstrated the ability to make swing adjustments as evidenced by the evolution between his sophomore and junior campaigns. If his hit tool eventually lands at a 40, he will be a strong fantasy asset.
I’m not inclined to move Jones following this summary. I’m comfortable balancing his power potential, athleticism, hit tool concern, and proximity, and feel that top-50 prospect status – even in points formats that penalize K’s – reflects my excitement about him. He is one of a handful of players that I think truly has top-5 prospect potential should he demonstrate the ability to correct the existing holes in his swing. I’m a believer.