Former Hudson Valley Standout Blossoming Into Next New York Yankees’ Star

In the fall of 2023, New York Yankees' phenom Jasson Dominguez took Major League Baseball by storm.

In 2024, Spencer Jones is trying to do the same thing, and if that's his goal, then he's off to a fantastic start.

Jones, a 6'6", 22-year old prospect in the Yankees' system, has been the talk of spring training around George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. As of Tuesday, Jones has received six at-bats in spring training games so far.

He has five hits in those at-bats, with the other "AB" ending in a walk.

Jones' first at-bat of the spring came when he pinch-hit for Trent Grisham in the fifth inning of Saturday's game against Detroit. He proceeded to do this:

He recorded two more hits on Saturday, finishing the day 3-for-3. He would be subbed into Sunday's game as well, this time, replacing Aaron Judge. He'd go 2-for-2 with a walk, one of three players in the line-up with multiple hits on the day. Here's another look at his numbers to begin the spring:

Back in December, Jones was ranked as New York's top prospect, according to FanGraphs. He's clearly a valuable part of the future for the Yankees, so much so, in fact, that Bob Nightengale recently reported that Jones was considered "untouchable" in trade negotiations.

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More specifically, the Chicago White Sox want to acquire Jones from New York in a trade for starting pitcher, Dylan Cease. According to Nightengale's report, the Yankees are not interested in that one bit.

Jones split last season (2023) between High-A Hudson Valley, where he hit .268 in 100 games, and Double-A Somerset, where he hit .261 in 17 games. He's likely to begin this season back in Somerset, and it's safe to assume that he isn't part of the big club's plans in 2024.

After all, there's a bit of a log jam in the outfield this season, with Judge, Soto, Verdugo, Grisham, and the hopefully-soon-to-be-healthy Jasson Dominguez all vying for playing time.

That said, Soto and Verdugo are free agents after 2024, and Grisham projects to be more of a bench piece for New York. So, when 2025 rolls around, Aaron Judge could be patrolling the outfield with Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones.

That's a trio that Yankees' fans should be excited about.