Another Shohei Ohtani-Spencer Jones comparison might send Yankees fans over the edge

The Age of the Internet has ruined just about everything. Those in the public eye can't get away with anything. Conversations that used to be held amongst a handful of friends over light beer now become overblown Reddit threads that try to have dissenters banned from the web. New York Yankees fans know this well.

The latest example has surrounded Spencer Jones, one of the organization's polarizing top prospects who oscillates between one of the most astounding up-and-coming power presences and potential massive bust.

Last week, Jones absolutely obliterated a home run at spring training and was immediately compared to Shohei Ohtani after the young slugger made some swing adjustments in the offseason. Jones told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com that he tries to apply what Ohtani does because of his admiration for the four-time MVP. It also helps that the two are left-handed hitters and are similar in size (Jones is actually bigger). So, in theory, it's not egregious that Jones would look to one of the greatest lefty hitters of this generation for inspiration.

But the comparisons have gone too far. The official MLB Twitter account posted a side-by-side video of the two players, which only fostered more Yankee hate (and we understand why given Jones' volatility).

And now the videos are coming from inside the house. The YES Network did the same with two different clips, which is sure to be viewed as propaganda by non-Yankees fans since this is the team's television network. You can already see in the replies.

Why Shohei Ohtani-Spencer Jones comparisons are a problem for Yankees fans

There's nothing Yankees fans love more than getting excited about their players, but most understand at this point that the team's player development (specifically among position players) is not great. Aaron Judge and Brett Gardner are the lone sustained success stories of the past 15 years.

Jones homered again Thursday with another majestic blast against the Braves. He had a similarly impressive spring training in 2025 (three homers, seven RBI, .927 OPS) only for him to eventually fall off a cliff at Triple-A with 109 strikeouts in 298 plate appearances. Though he had impressive stretches, the major flaws with his game surfaced and created great concern about his future.

We get it, though. You watch the videos and you see similarities. But most of the internet is going to (and has) blown it out proportion given Ohtani is arguably on track to be the greatest player in the history of the sport and the fact Jones has an uphill climb to even log reps with the 2026 Yankees.

It'd be nice if we could have civil conversations about these types of things, but that's not life in 2026. MLB and the Yankees know exactly what's going to happen by kickstarting this discourse. Us Yankees fans just want to enjoy some baseball and hold out the little hope we have regarding some top prospects without catching constant strays. Is that too much to ask?