About Spring Training: The Suspencer is Killing Me

About Spring Training: The Suspencer is Killing Me

By Tim Kabel

March 7, 2024

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Spencer Jones is clearly one of the Yankees’ top prospects. He is built from the same mold as Aaron Judge. He is reportedly extremely fast and an excellent outfielder. The difference between Jones and Judge is that Jones is a left-handed hitter, which is a nice thing to have in Yankee Stadium. He came into Spring Training and did very well. He didn't do as well as Jasson Dominguez did last year but, nonetheless, he did well enough for people to notice. 

Jones was reassigned to minor league camp a few days ago. This should come as a surprise to no one. It is not a knock on Jones. It is not a sign that he has deficiencies or anything else that could be construed as negative. It's like when you bake a cake. You can run into a lot of problems if you pull it out of the oven too early. 

Spencer Jones needs a lot more seasoning. He only played a handful of games above A ball last year. In addition, the Yankees have multiple solid outfield options at the Major League level. Besides that, Jasson Dominguez seems to be recovering very quickly and could be back in the Major Leagues before too long. 

It is the absolute correct move to send Jones back to the minor leagues to continue his development and progression. There are a lot of things he needs to work on. That is the case with almost any young player. Jones will turn 23 this season. He needs to start off the year at AA and progress naturally. It is entirely possible that he can make the Major League team next season. Maybe, he will even get a little taste of the Bronx later this season, depending on the circumstances. At that time. If Jones is setting the world on fire and the Yankees have a need for him, it could happen. 

The point is that no one, repeat, no one, should be surprised or disappointed that Spencer Jones was sent to the minor leagues. That is where he belongs. You could take the greatest minds in our country in any particular field. At some point, they were all in grade school. Ernest Hemingway did not write novels when he was eight years old. It takes time for people to develop into who they will be. It is a process. 

It is also in the realm of possibility that Jones will never pan out. He might never make it to the Major Leagues or if he does, he might not be a player of any great significance. As Doris Day used to sing, “Que Sera, Sera”. At this point, we have no way of knowing what type of career Jones will have. All we have is promise and potential. Those are good things to have with a young player. 

As fans, we need to concentrate on the Major League level. There is enough to occupy us there. If we want to, we can dream about Jasson Dominguez’s return from the IL. At least, that is more realistic and likely than expecting Spencer Jones to make major contributions to the Yankees this season. 

We can certainly pay attention to what Jones is doing at AA and possibly AAA. There's nothing wrong with that. If he has a tremendous season in the minor leagues, that is what he is supposed to do. Even if he struggles a bit, there is still nothing wrong with that. He will get here when he gets here. Actually, he will get here if he gets here. 

Having someone with Jones’ talent and potential is wonderful. Hopefully, this season, Yankees’ fans can enjoy the best of both worlds: watching the Major League team push toward a Championship Season while waiting for Spencer Jones to develop into the Major Leaguer we all hope he will be.