Spencer Jones’ 6-foot-7, 240-pound frame isn’t just for show. It packs a ton of thump.
The Yankees’ No. 6 prospect demonstrated as much on Sunday, scorching a pair of towering homers -- including his second grand slam of the season -- in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s 7-1 victory over Buffalo at PNC Field.
The performance marked Jones’ second multihomer game in his past six contests and raised his season total to 10 roundtrippers -- the most among Yankees Minor Leaguers and second-most in the International League. It also matched his season high of five RBIs.
Jones entered the contest ranking in the 98th percentile in average exit velocity (95.3 mph) among Minor Leaguers. In the first inning, the 2022 first-rounder showed why, jumping on the first pitch he saw from rehabbing Blue Jays right-hander José Berríos and sending it completely out of the ballpark.
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The laser left Jones’ bat at a sizzling 117.4 mph and traveled 422 feet, the second-hardest-hit ball in the Minors this season, per Statcast. In just the Yankees organization, it was the hardest-hit ball since Giancarlo Stanton on Aug. 24, 2025.
Three frames later, Jones got the better of Berríos again, crushing a 111.1 mph, 406-foot grand slam that put the RailRiders up 7-1.
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Now in his fourth full season as a pro, Jones’ calling card continues to be his 65-grade power, which by all accounts is ready for the big leagues. Last year, he hit 35 homers -- the second-most in the Minors -- while employing a batting stance that featured a leg kick akin to fellow hulking Yankee Aaron Judge.
This season, in an effort to combat his perennially high strikeout (35 percent in 2025) and swing-and-miss rates (42 percent in 2025), the California native has taken inspiration from another MVP -- Shohei Ohtani. Throughout Spring Training and into his age-24 campaign, Jones has used a stance that melds the two superstar methods together. He starts with his hands low, like Judge, before starting his load, a toe tap that resembles Ohtani.
So far, the adjustments haven't showed up in the stats in which the Yankees are looking for improvement, Jones has struck out 43 times through 31 games. But as he showed on Sunday, they haven’t exactly hurt his pop either. The lefty slugger sports a .261/.366/.586 slash line and a .952 OPS. He has reached base in all but four contests this season.
Jones still needs to grow -- on this front anyway -- before he reaches the bigs, but one thing is for sure -- he has the strength to make an impact when he does.