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Spencer Jones is no Aaron Judge, but there’s a familiar hunger in him.
On March 9th, 2017, FanGraphs ranked Aaron Judge fifth among Yankees prospects, behind Gleyber Torres, Clint Frazier, Blake Rutherford, and James Kaprielian. Scouts were unenthused by the burly outfielder, whose boyish, bucktoothed face hung somewhere near the rafters.
Said FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen:
“Scouts, many of whom had never seen a hitter this size at all, let alone one that succeeded in the big leagues, were worried about Judge swinging and missing in pro ball...[I have him] torching out 30 homers at peak.”
We learned garden-variety is only a mechanical tweak from Eden.
Judge made pilgrimage to St. Peters, Missouri, to consult a profane Instagram guru. One year later, he had already eclipsed FanGraphs’ six-year WAR projection.
But a 52-home run rookie campaign was not a comfortable landing spot for Judge, who always saw room for improvement. As the years followed, he improved his discipline, then his zone damage, then his contact. The changes were not refinements - they were radical, and unusually experimental for any big-leaguer.
There is just as much downside risk as there is upside potential when a player reinvents their blueprint, amidst a very limited time window. But had Judge been any less brazen, he may have gone down in history along-side Chris Carter.
Now comes Spencer Jones, burdened with the Judge comp. In my mind, his power and size shouldn’t be enough to warrant it. The range of outcomes is too vast.
But there is something unique in his character, which we might say is reminiscent of the captain.
From his earliest foray into professional ball, Jones sensed a naiveté, and a rigidity. Even earlier than Judge, he sought external support, tapping into the father son duo in Nashville: Mike & Logan Brumley. His hands lowered. His rotation freed. His launch was cleaner.
Then the following year, a radical shift in his mechanic: a Rod Carew crouch, gliding into a Judge-ian stride, and a simple trigger. He was streaky now, but the hot stretches were much hotter.
Now in 2026, a complete remodel: the lift is fully subdued. He pivots and launches like Ohtani. The mechanic is far more compact, and violent.
The year to year adjustments are dramatic, well beyond what is typical of an ascending talent. He will not be Aaron Judge, but the shared penchant for experimentation is a great omen for the road ahead.
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