Spencer Jones was never quite a sure thing for the New York Yankees.
He wasn’t even a top-100 prospect before this season despite being 6-foot-7 with some of the best raw power in the minor leagues, to go along with speed and proven quality production as he rose through the rungs toward MLB.
The main problem, as most Yankees fans know, is that Jones swung and missed too much. For some, it was way too much.
If a hitter doesn’t hit the ball, of course, it’s hard to access power no matter how prodigious.
So would Jones hit the ball enough to be a success in the major leagues? That’s what no one knew for sure.
Now that Jones has arrived, though, it’s possible to see what he’s doing and be impressed.
But even more than whiff rate, there’s one element of Jones’ game that has proven to be better than anyone would’ve expected.
Spencer Jones vs. Lefties
Jones, himself a left-handed hitter, is absolutely raking against southpaws.
He’s batting .435 with a 1.251 OPS this season against left-handed pitchers.
Jones also homered against the difficult lefty Taylor Rogers on Tuesday night, after Rogers hadn’t allowed a home run to a lefty hitter all season.
Spencer Jones vs LHP:
51 PA, .435/.490/.761 (1.251 OPS)Jones’ 6th inning HR off Taylor Rogers was the 1st HR Rogers allowed to a lefty batter this season
(133 LHB faced prior to Jones)— Katie Sharp (@SharpStats17) September 16, 2026
The expectation would’ve been that Jones’ least chance of success early in his MLB career would be against pitchers from the same side. Generally, that’s considered a platoon disadvantage, because the way pitches move from a same-side pitcher is usually harder to hit than the way pitches may break from an opposite-side pitcher.
In the modern game, too, there is so much platooning that young lefty hitters don’t always get to play against left-handed pitchers to begin with. They never even get a chance to prove whether they can do it because teams try to play matchups right away.
In some ways, it would’ve been seen as protective for the Yankees to leave Jones on the bench against lefties.
But by allowing him to play in those matchups, Jones has proven he can handle hitting against pitchers who throw from the same side as him. It takes sound hitting mechanics to accomplish, and that’s incredibly encouraging for the Yankees going forward.
6-Foot-7 History
It’s also worth noting that the Yankees recently made history. An MLB team hadn’t had two hitters of 6-foot-7 or taller play for them in the same season until these Yanks, with Jones and Aaron Judge.
The Yankees did much better, too, in having them share the same outfield. It’s quite the sight to behold, and if Jones proves capable of being a part of the Yankees’ future, it’ll be fun for fans in the Bronx to watch these two towering sluggers do their thing in pinstripes.
Yankees’ Spencer Jones Doing Something Rookie Sluggers Don’t Do