Yankees‘ top prospect Spencer Jones was hoping 2025 would be his launch pad.
After flashing serious upside in spring training, the 6-foot-6 Yankees outfield prospect aimed to make the leap to Triple-A. Instead, he finds himself back with Double-A Somerset to start the year—a frustrating detour for a player the Yankees still believe has superstar potential.
Spring Struggles Expose Key Flaws
Jones showed flashes of the monster power he’s known for, launching three home runs and driving in seven RBIs over 17 spring training games.
He also slashed .250/.333/.594, which on paper, looks solid. But the elephant in the room? A sky-high 44.4% strikeout rate. That kind of swing-and-miss profile was simply too much for the Yankees to ignore when making roster decisions.
He wasn’t barreling the ball as much as expected either, despite the occasional moonshot. His contact was inconsistent, and that inconsistency—especially against upper-level pitching—ended up sealing his fate.
Turning to Tech: The “Torpedo” Bat Enters the Chat
Now, Jones is hoping a change in equipment can unlock more consistent results.
Specifically, he’s adopting the new “torpedo” bat—an emerging bat design that’s gained popularity across the league for redistributing mass in the barrel. The idea is simple: increase the sweet spot, maximize exit velocity, and reduce the number of balls just missing the barrel.
For Jones, the numbers made the decision easy.
“They showed me that my bat barrel was like 20th percentile in barrel size,” Jones explained. “Why am I using a bat with a tiny barrel when I can maximize that? It’s obvious for me to start using a bigger barrel.”
With his size and strength, Jones doesn’t need to swing harder—he just needs more forgiveness on contact. The new bat may provide just that.
All the Tools, Still Finding the Blueprint
The Yankees still see Jones as a potential middle-of-the-order bat down the line. He has the raw power, the athleticism to be an above-average defender, and enough speed to contribute on the basepaths. But the strikeout issue is the barrier that separates “potential” from “arrival.”
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If he can cut that K-rate significantly and start finding barrels with more frequency, Jones could be knocking on the Triple-A door soon enough.
For now, the Yankees will let him work through his development in Somerset—with a new bat and hopefully, a better approach.
Let’s see if the torpedo helps launch the breakout.