Spencer Jones (outfielder)

Spencer Jones
New York Yankees – No. 78
Center fielder
Born: (2001-05-14) May 14, 2001 (age 22)
Encinitas, California, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Left

Spencer George Jones (born May 14, 2001) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the New York Yankees organization.

Amateur career[edit]

Jones attended La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad, California. As a junior in 2018, he had a 4.09 earned run average (ERA) with 33 walks and 33 strikeouts over 27+1⁄3 innings pitched and had a .414 batting average with five home runs.[1] He played in the Perfect Game All-American Classic and the Under Armour All-America Baseball Game that summer.[2][3][4] He fractured his elbow as a senior in 2019 while pitching and missed the remainder of the season.[5] He was still selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the 31st round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft but did not sign and instead enrolled at Vanderbilt University to play college baseball.

Jones enrolled at Vanderbilt as a two-way player, and appeared in 14 games before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After the season, he began playing collegiate summer baseball with the Santa Barbara Foresters of the California Collegiate League. Midway through the summer, he injured his elbow once again and underwent Tommy John surgery.[6] During his 2021 season at Vanderbilt, he was unable to pitch due to the surgery, but still appeared in 34 games as a designated hitter, batting .274 with three home runs and ten RBIs.[7] That summer, he played in the Cape Cod Baseball League with the Brewster Whitecaps where he batted .309 with two home runs and twenty RBIs over 29 games.[8][9] Jones returned fully healthy in 2022 and became Vanderbilt's starting right fielder, choosing to stop pitching.[10][11][12] During a game on May 10, versus Indiana State University, Jones went 6-for-6 with a walk-off single in the 11th inning, tying the school record for most hits in a single game.[13] He finished the season having played in 61 games with a .370/.460/.644 slash line with 12 home runs, sixty RBIs, and 21 doubles, earning First Team All-SEC honors.[14][15] Following the season's end, he traveled to San Diego where he participated in the Draft Combine.[16]

Professional career[edit]

The New York Yankees selected Jones in the first round with the 25th overall selection of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft.[17] He signed with the team for $2.88 million.[18]

Jones made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Florida Complex League Yankees and was promoted to the Tampa Tarpons of the Single-A Florida State League after three games.[19] Over 25 games between both teams, he batted .344 with four home runs, 12 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases.[20] To begin the 2023 season, he was assigned to the Hudson Valley Renegades of the High-A South Atlantic League.[21] He was selected to represent the Yankees (alongside Clayton Beeter) at the 2023 All-Star Futures Game.[22] In late August, he was promoted to the Somerset Patriots of the Double-A Eastern League.[23] Over 117 games, Jones slashed .267/.336/.444 with 12 home runs, 66 RBIs, 29 doubles, and 43 stolen bases.[24] He was assigned to Somerset to open up the 2024 season.[25]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "La Costa Canyon pitcher stunning the scouts". San Diego Union-Tribune. February 26, 2019.
  2. ^ "Perfect Game All-American Classic has San Diego flavor". Hartford Courant.
  3. ^ "Spencer Jones puts on for his hometown crowd at Perfect Game All-American Classic". August 13, 2018.
  4. ^ "2018 Under Armour All-America Road to Wrigley - Spencer Jones". Baseball Factory. July 13, 2018.
  5. ^ "Despite season-ending injury, LCC's Spencer Jones optimistic he'll return to form -". March 22, 2019.
  6. ^ "Vanderbilt two-way player Spencer Jones has Tommy John surgery". Vandy247.
  7. ^ Paris, Jay (May 20, 2021). "The Coast News Group".
  8. ^ "#50 Spencer Jones". pointstreak.com. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  9. ^ Cole, Adam. "Cape Cod Baseball League: Jones' summer in Brewster best one yet". Cape Cod Times.
  10. ^ Gerson, Aria. "How Spencer Jones recaptured his smile with Vanderbilt baseball after a long, painful journey". The Tennessean.
  11. ^ "Alumni Report: Jones a big hit at Vandy". San Diego Union-Tribune. May 17, 2022.
  12. ^ Gerson, Aria. "Why Vanderbilt baseball's Spencer Jones gave up pitching to focus on the outfield". The Tennessean.
  13. ^ Gerson, Aria. "Vanderbilt baseball's Spencer Jones ties school record with six hits, walk-off single vs Indiana State". The Tennessean.
  14. ^ "Vanderbilt baseball's Enrique Bradfield, Dominic Keegan, Spencer Jones named All-SEC". The Tennessean.
  15. ^ "Vanderbilt's Spencer Jones could be the MLB draft's powerful, fast, late-blooming steal".
  16. ^ "Participants | MLB Draft Combine | Prospect Development Pipeline". MLB.com.
  17. ^ "New York Yankees pick Vanderbilt baseball's Spencer Jones in first round of 2022 MLB Draft". The Tennessean.
  18. ^ "Yankees' hulking 1st-round pick's signing bonus revealed". 25 July 2022.
  19. ^ "Yankees Prospects: Week 18 minor league review". 9 August 2022.
  20. ^ "Spencer Jones Stats, Fantasy & News".
  21. ^ "Where the Yankees' Top 30 prospects are starting the 2023 season". MLB.com.
  22. ^ "Yankees prospects Spencer Jones, Clayton Beeter make 2023 All-Star Futures Game". sny.tv.
  23. ^ "No. 1 Prospect OF Spencer Jones Promoted To Double-A Somerset". MiLB.com.
  24. ^ "Yankees Prospect Notebook: Spencer Jones ready to be 'pure athlete' in offseason". September 23, 2023.
  25. ^ https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/where-yankees-top-prospects-are-starting-2024-season?game_pk=634642

External links[edit]

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