NEW YORK -- Spencer Jones vividly remembers where he was while Cam Schlittler dominated the Red Sox to end last year’s American League Wild Card Series: somewhere on a 13-hour highway trek between Scranton, Pa., and his home in Nashville, Tenn., watching the action on an iPad.
“My girlfriend and I, we had it going in the passenger seat,” Jones recalled. “I remember we stopped at Chipotle and watched a couple of innings. That’s what I was thinking about -- being on the team, being in that lineup and being able to play in these games.”
Schlittler continued to build upon that stellar performance with a season that is all but certain to result in an American League Cy Young Award, while Ben Rice developed into one of the circuit’s most imposing power bats, belting 41 homers with an .897 OPS.
With Jones and fellow rookie George Lombard Jr. getting their first tastes of the big leagues this past season, the Yankees have been encouraged by their pipeline’s performance.
“What did excite me about this year is some of the younger players that came up and really contributed,” managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said recently. “Younger players tend to stay healthier. They can be faster. It’s good to see.”
Judging his roster against the World Series participants, manager Aaron Boone noted the athleticism that the Brewers and Rays displayed.
“That’s something as an organization that we’ve tried to address over the last few years,” Boone said. “In '24 when we went to the World Series, we were a little more one-dimensional, but really good at that one dimension. I think we’ve gotten more athletic over the last couple of years.”
Jones, 25, made his Major League debut in May and was known for light-tower power and big swing-and-miss rates throughout his rise. He was a consistent second-half presence as the Yankees waited for Aaron Judge to recover from a fractured right rib.
In 86 games over four stints, Jones batted .245/.313/.429 (105 OPS+) with 13 doubles, a triple, 11 home runs, 40 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 13 attempts. Jones was especially impressive against left-handed pitching, batting .389 (21-for-54).
“I think it comes down to the work we’ve done behind the scenes in the cages, the stuff we talk about in meetings and the conversations I have with other hitters,” Jones said. “We have a lot of really good left-handed hitters on this team. They’ve been able to help me refine my approach.”
Jones’ impact was less clear defensively, posting -4 defensive runs saved in center field. But with Trent Grisham now a free agent, Jones seems to be the in-house pick to man the position next year, allowing Gold Glove Award finalist Cody Bellinger to remain in left field with Judge penciled into right.
Lombard, 21, is projected to begin 2027 as the Yankees’ starting shortstop after being promoted following the Trade Deadline in early August.
Selected out of high school in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft, Lombard homered in his Aug. 4 Major League debut, then batted .237/.285/.414 with four doubles, a triple, seven homers and 22 RBIs in 42 games.
An excellent defender throughout the Minors, the game appeared to speed up on Lombard at times, including an uncharacteristic streak where he committed errors in six consecutive contests. But that had stabilized by late September.
“Watching both those guys [Jones and Lombard], the way they work, the way they prepare -- they’re going to have a bright future here,” Judge said. “Getting their feet wet in the postseason a little bit, I think it’s only going to help their growth, just playing around these guys.”
Steinbrenner noted that the Yankees refused to part with top-rated talent at the Trade Deadline this past year, when the club acquired first baseman Luis García Jr. and outfielder Heliot Ramos in swaps.
“I think we had a really good Trade Deadline this year,” Steinbrenner said. “We weren’t about to give up any of the Lombards of the world or the Schlittlers of the world.”
Catcher Austin Wells, infielder Anthony Volpe and right-hander Will Warren are among the other under-30 draftees currently on the roster. Hard-throwing right-hander Carlos Lagrange could soon join them; he had been envisioned as a second-half bullpen piece, but his rise was delayed by injury.
“I’m optimistic about the young players,” Steinbrenner said. “I think it adds a dynamic to the overall club. I think it adds, one can even argue, a hunger to the club. Athleticism to the club. I’m hoping and I believe we’re going to continue to see that with players like Lagrange and other players.”