Yanks' 6-7 sluggers Judge (TWICE), Jones open spring with HRs

TAMPA, Fla. – Even if Spencer Jones and Aaron Judge didn’t stand at each others’ eye levels, there would be plenty of reasons to share conversations throughout Yankees camp – their massive power, dependable defense in the outfield, aggressiveness on the basepaths.

That height only adds to the available topics. As the Yankees dream of a day when the 6-foot-7 sluggers could share the same big league lineup, Jones and Judge each went deep in the Bombers’ Grapefruit League home opener, a 20-3 victory over the Tigers on Saturday afternoon at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

“He’s the captain for a reason,” Jones said. “He’s looking out for everybody, and he’s definitely helped me, especially so far this camp. It’s just little things here and there; he’s not somebody to go pry. You just ask him questions and he’s always open for a conversation.”

Jones hit the Yanks’ first Grapefruit League homer of the spring in the second inning, turning around a 94.8 mph Keider Montero four-seamer and blasting a drive that cleared the right-field seating area, traveling toward Dale Mabry Highway.

Coming off Jones’ bat at 111.7 mph, Statcast calculated the drive at 408 feet, a measurement that seemed conservative to Jones.

“They all count for the same, so it was cool,” said Jones, 24.

Watching from the first-base dugout, Judge said he has noticed changes to Jones’ swing. Jones acknowledged that he has used the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani as a model, calling the National League’s reigning MVP “a great reference of a really good mover with a great swing.”

“The minute [Jones] puts that foot down with that little toe-tap, he’s ready to hit,” Judge said. “They might have gotten him with a lot of high heaters in the past, or even last season. I think that’s just going to help him.

“He doesn’t have a big leg kick and doesn’t have to worry about trying to get that down. I liked the results I saw in that first at-bat. That quickness, that readiness, it’s really going to be a game-changer for him.”

Jones hit 35 home runs in the Minors last season, which he split between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, finishing 2025 rated by MLB Pipeline as the Yankees’ No. 4 prospect.

With 179 strikeouts in 438 Minor League at-bats, swing-and-miss is still a concern, but general manager Brian Cashman has acknowledged Jones would be receiving big league playing time in other organizations right now.

With the Yankees, he’s currently blocked by Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Judge, with Jasson Domínguez also potentially on the outside looking in.

As for Judge, he picked up where he left off after winning his third American League MVP Award last year, getting an early start to his spring as he prepares to represent Team USA in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

“Even going back to last year, I tried to get more at-bats early on so I could be ready in April,” Judge said. “I thought that worked out for us, and try to do the same thing we did last year. But also, the WBC, you don’t want to get exposed. You’re playing for your country. You’ve got to be ready to go.”

Facing Detroit’s Burch Smith in the third inning, Judge launched a two-run homer that dented the center-field batter’s eye. Statcast calculated it at 420 feet, coming off the bat at 104.5 mph.

“It’s all about getting ready, but then if I don’t have results, I get asked questions about what happened to the power,” Judge said. “At this point in my career, I’ve got things I need to work on and things I need to do that are going to help us put the best team out there.”

In the fourth, Judge cracked a solo drive down the left-field line off Ricky Vanasco, measuring 395 feet and coming off the bat at 106.1 mph. It was a similar shot to the “lost” homer Judge hit against the Rays at Steinbrenner Field last April 20, which was ruled a foul ball after inconclusive replays.

“I didn’t know if I should run – is it fair or is it foul?” said Judge, who had seven multi-homer games last season. “I just kept my head down on this one. I’m like, ‘I’m not going to even look at the umpire.’”