Spencer Jones: The MLB Trade Deadline’s Biggest Winner

Since the MLB trade deadline, the Yankees created a ton of noise regarding what they were doing. 

Now three weeks later, Spencer Jones seems to have won the deadline. 

It doesn’t make much sense however, the addition of Heliot Ramos has lately lit a spark in Jones. 

Spencer Jones Has Struggled To Start August

Since August 2nd, Jones hasn’t exactly come out firing at the plate. Through his first several games of the month, he struggled to make consistent contact and saw his batting average drop from .237 on August 2nd to .210 by August 16th. 

Jones went hitless in his first two games after August 2nd and followed that up with another 0-for-3 performance on August 4th. He finally started showing signs of life on August 8th against Atlanta, going 2 for 3 with a double and a run scored. 

The biggest issue during this stretch has been consistency. Jones has shown flashes of the power that made him such an interesting young player, but there were also plenty of games where he struggled to get on base.

The Power Has Started To Show Up

Even though Jones struggled to hit for average early in August, the power has started to become more noticeable as the month has continued.

On August 20th against Baltimore, Jones went 3 for 4 with a home run and two runs scored, giving the Yankees one of their biggest offensive performances of the game. He followed that up on August 21st by hitting another home run against Toronto, this time a two-run shot that helped the Yankees win 3-1. 

That gives Jones home runs in back-to-back games, which is especially important considering he entered the stretch with only five homers on the season. His recent production has shown that the power hasn’t disappeared despite his struggles to maintain a high batting average. 

Jones Is Heating Up At The Right Time

This is where Jones’ performance since August 2nd becomes interesting.

For most of August, Jones was struggling to find consistency. But over his most recent games, we’ve started seeing a completely different hitter. His two-home-run stretch against Baltimore and Toronto, along with his three-hit performance against the Orioles, has given him some much-needed momentum. 

What’s even more encouraging is that his underlying contact has improved recently. Over the past week, his average exit velocity jumped to 97 mph, compared to his 94.2 mph season average, while his Barrels also improved significantly. 

So while Jones’ overall August numbers aren’t impressive, his recent performances are starting to change the story. He struggled for most of the month, but now he’s showing the power and hard contact that could make the final stretch of the season very interesting.