Spencer Jones May Have Changed What Yankees Do This Winter

Spencer Jones and Aaron Judge had very different seasons as 25-year-olds for the New York Yankees. When Judge's season finished in 2016, it looked like he could be in the future plans, but he still had to compete with Aaron Hicks in spring training the following season. Things might be a little different for Jones, though. It's hard to imagine the center field job not being his next year, or the Yankees even having to find somebody to compete with him next spring.

This season, Jones is hitting .259/.331/.452 with 10 home runs, 37 RBI, and nine stolen bases. What's great about Jones's production is that it isn't a small sample, either. He has done it over 250 plate appearances.

Spencer Jones BLASTS a three-run homer and the Yankees have broken it open! pic.twitter.com/QUBPc6xdtk
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 16, 2026

If the Yankees had any thoughts about retaining Trent Grisham or finding a center fielder on the open market, that really shouldn't be a need anymore. Where else are they getting the production Jones is giving them?

Luis Robert is one name the Yankees could have targeted if things had gone differently with Jones. He has pop in his bat and is one of the speedier outfielders in baseball. Now, they should avoid signing a player like this and allocate resources elsewhere.

Jones' raw tools could make for an exceptional player

While Robert has some power upside, Jones has even more. That's another plus in Jones's column. The rookie's peripherals on the backend suggest an outstanding ability to crush baseballs.

According to Baseball Savant, Jones has an average exit velocity of 94.1 MPH, a 15.7% barrel rate, a 54.7% hard-hit rate, and a lightning-quick 77.2 MPH average bat speed. The Yankees definitely aren't getting a player with that type of raw power on the open market, either.

The issue with Jones is that his defense has been spotty, but when a player can hit like that, they can live with some growing pains. Jones has a -2 Outs Above Average this season, but he could improve. He has the tools there, too.

Jones has 89th-percentile sprint speed and 80th-percentile arm strength. Those are two areas where Grisham has declined (34th-percentile sprint speed and 65th-percentile arm strength), and the one benefit of having Jones in center field is that he can get to balls Grisham otherwise couldn't.

Grisham also has a -6 Outs Above Average this season, which is a notable decline from 2025 (-2), which again speaks to why Jones' growth and continued development in center is important.

Now, it's not to say that Jones will end up being Willie Mays out in center. As long as he's competent, the Yankees will take that. On a given night, he can send a ball 450 feet and change the entire complexion of a ballgame with his power. There were signs of this in the spring, but it's hard to imagine anybody could have predicted this.

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