Spencer Jones Could Be the Yankees’ Future But Not Their Answer Right Now

Yankees fans are nothing if not consistent.

If Paul Goldschmidt’s knee lands him on the injured list, the instant-reaction crowd will be screaming for Spencer Jones. You can already see the tweets: “He’s the future, call him up!”

But the future doesn’t mean right now. And calling him up now would be more about hype than actual help to him or the big league club.

Yes, Jones is the kind of athlete you build in a video game. He's 6’6”, runs like a wide receiver, and hits the ball into orbit. But he’s also still strikes out about a quarter of the time. That’s an improvement from the 36.8% disaster rate last year, but major league pitchers would pick at those holes until he’s swinging at shadows.

That’s not the kind of learning curve you want happening on the big stage in the Bronx. Remember, it wasn't that long ago Yankees fans were screaming to bring up Anthony Volpe and now they're screaming to send him down.

When Jones connects, he has phenomenal power. When he doesn’t, it’s a lot of empty trips back to the dugout. Triple-A pitchers make mistakes he can live off of. Big-league pitchers are in the big leagues because they don't make those mistakes. Hunting for a wild-card bid isn't a good time for a feast or famine rookie to feel his way through the big league.

And now is not the time for Jones to be on the bench waiting to play. Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Trent Grisham have already pushed rookie Jasson Dominguez to the bench for the past three games. You’re not sitting any of those four in a pennant race to see if a prospect can adjust.

If Goldschmidt’s spot opens, the Yankees’ more immediate needs are on the bench and a right-handed hitter. A versatile infielder might save you a game in October. That’s where the focus should be.

Jones still has to prove he's part of the Yankees' future.

It's not fair to rush him now into a part-time role. It risks hurting his confidence and his value. Let him finish the job at Triple-A. When he comes up, it should be because he’s ready to stick, not because the Yankees panicked.

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