Spencer Jones heads toward a possible larger Yankees role in 2027 with a swing that produces hard contact and power low in the strike zone, but leaves him vulnerable to elevated pitches.
The 25-year-old outfielder improved after a three-week return to Triple-A in July, finishing the final nine weeks of 2026 with a 113 weighted runs created plus, second among Yankees hitters with at least 100 plate appearances during that stretch, according to MLB analyst Jared Greenspan.
Greenspan's examination of Jones' swing describes a hitter whose 44-degree swing-path tilt was the second steepest among players with at least 200 swings, behind Detroit's Riley Greene.
Jones hit .224 with a .314 on-base percentage and .355 slugging percentage in his first 31 games, producing a .669 OPS and 96 wRC+. Over his final 55 games, he hit .254/.312/.459, with a .771 OPS and 113 wRC+. Only Ben Rice had a higher wRC+ among the Yankees hitters who met the late-season playing-time threshold.
An uppercut creates power and a high-pitch weakness
Jones slugged .674 against pitches in the middle of the strike zone or lower, among the highest marks in baseball. Teammate Aaron Judge, another hitter with a steep swing path, slugged .667 against those pitches.
Against pitches in the upper third of the zone, however, Jones slugged .188. Only eight hitters with at least 30 plate appearances ending on elevated pitches had a lower mark; those players combined for 30 home runs.
Greenspan's analysis explains that an uppercut can match the downward path of lower pitches, while a flatter bat path tends to work better against high fastballs. For Jones, where a pitch crosses the plate helps determine how much of his power he can use.
More than 73% of Jones' batted balls went into the air. He was one of three hitters in the report's qualifying group above that level, alongside Rhys Hoskins and Cal Raleigh.
Jones told Greenspan that his mental cue is to hit ground balls to the opposite field. That thought helps flatten his swing, even though the resulting contact often carries into the air.
Bat speed lets Jones wait and still drive the ball
Jones averaged 77.1 mph in bat speed, tied with Kyle Schwarber for ninth among hitters with at least 200 swings. His fast-swing rate was 71.7%.
The 6-foot-7 outfielder also ranked among the top 10 in hard-hit rate at 55.1% and barrel rate at 15.9% among hitters with at least 150 batted balls.
That speed allows him to make contact deeper without sacrificing power. Only Paul Goldschmidt, on average, let pitches travel deeper relative to his body's center of mass, according to the analysis.
Jones can therefore drive a pitch to the opposite field without meeting it far out in front of the plate. Greenspan highlighted a home run against Cubs left-hander David Peterson on which Jones contacted the fastball behind home plate and still sent it over the left-field fence.
Jones said he concentrates on hitting the ball hard into the opposite-field gap and handling pitches away, an approach he believes has also opened opportunities to pull the ball.
More contact remains the challenge
The same swing also comes with substantial missed contact. Jones had a 38.7% whiff rate, seventh highest among hitters with at least 200 swings.
His whiff rate was eighth highest against non-fastballs and sixth highest against fastballs. Among Yankees hitters with at least 500 swings in a season, none had posted a higher rate since Joey Gallo in 2022.
More than 48% of Jones' plate appearances ended in a home run, strikeout or walk, a top-15 share among hitters with at least 200 plate appearances. Those outcomes reflect the combination of power and contact difficulty that followed him from the minors.
With Trent Grisham in free agency and managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner praising the organization's young players, Jones could have more opportunity next season. His role remains an offseason question, while the task at the plate is to preserve the power and improve the contact.
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