Most important issue on Spencer Jones' list of offseason improvements isn't what we expected

There weren't many souls hanging around Yankee Stadium last year during late November. Surely the New York Yankees front office was in sessions, plotting how to drag out negotiations with Cody Bellinger as long as possible. However, the field was a cold, barren landscape, devoid of signs of life, except for Spencer Jones.

Jones came to the Bronx to get a jump on the 2026 season. He knew his reputation as a boom-or-bust prospect and was trying to put in the work so that things came out more boom than bust. You can largely say that happened in 2026, though maybe not right away.

Now Jones is already starting to focus again on the future and how he needs to improve. In fact, he's made a list of things that he wants to work on this offseason to come back stronger in 2027.

“In my own head, I’ve got a list of things I want to work on, things I want to do. I’m motivated after this. Just move forward, head down into the next season. I struck out a million times this year. I feel like I didn’t help the team in certain contexts that way. I think defensively, I think I can get better. I think I can get faster. And then the mental side of the game — leaning on the resources we have here and making sure that I’m the best competitor when the season starts next year,” Jones said following the Yankees' elimination at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays 

Improving defensively is even more important than limiting strikeouts for Spencer Jones's Yankees future

The bugaboo with Jones has always been the strikeouts. He's got big power and even bigger swing-and-miss potential - or, at least, that's how he's been billed. Part of this has to do with his frame. At six-foot-seven, his strike zone is larger than most, his swing is longer than most, and unfurling those long limbs to explode to the ball takes just a fraction of a second longer.

The Aaron Judge comparisons are a bit tired and lazy, but frame-wise, the concerns were the same for Judge the prospect. The three-time MVP went from striking out 44.2% of the time during his 2016 cup of coffee to winning a batting title in 2025. We're not saying that Jones' evolution will be the same, but what we are saying is that it doesn't have to be in order for him to be a productive player. He had also made some progress reducing the Ks throughout the season.

There were only 10 qualified hitters who posted a strikeout rate above 30% in 2026, but of those 10, seven finished with a wRC+ over 100. The average wRC+ among the group was 109.9. From July 22 onward, Jones posted a 111 wRC+. There's definite room for improvement, but he's also right there with his fellow whiff-plagued peers. Also, few hit the ball as hard as Jones does when they make contact.

Therefore, it's clear that, for all the hand-wringing, the strikeouts aren't the biggest concern. Instead, the biggest issue that Jones needs to rectify is his defense.

Unlike the strikeouts, Jones had a reputation for being a good defender in center field in the minors. It makes sense, as he possesses 89th-percentile sprint speed and 79th-percentile arm strength. The physical tools are there, but the production has not been, at least at the big league level.

The 25-year-old produced -4 outs above average, -4 defensive runs saved, and a -3 fielding run value over just 315 1/3 innings in center. Extrapolating that out over a full season's workload, it's pretty much Trent Grisham levels of bad.

There's some thought that the movement between outfield positions, with Jones also receiving heavy doses of work in right and left field, caused the issue. There are also some who believe that the height of the stands in big league ballparks, compared to the minor league fields where he played, caused issues with his ability to track the ball.

The excuses are irrelevant. The Yankees have already seen one promising young outfielder become a defensive disaster in Jasson Dominguez, and Jones can't follow suit.

Moreover, the Yankees really need him to be able to handle center field. The options to replace him in center aren't great. On the free-agent market, the top center fielders are guys like Cedric Mullins, Daulton Varsho, and... Trent Grisham. That's not inspiring stuff.

The Yankees' only other alternative on the roster is shifting Cody Bellinger to center, a position he plays much less well than left field. New York's defense has already been an issue, so moving to a suboptimal defensive alignment should be off the table.

Jones has shown an encouraging level of maturity and a dedication to working tirelessly at his craft to improve. We've seen the payoff with his monstrous production against lefties and in clutch situations. That should fuel hope that he can improve in the field.

Getting better defensively is the most important thing that Jones can do this offseason. With that said, this doesn't have to be an either-or scenario, and if he accomplishes his goal and limits the strikeouts while also improving his glove work, we certainly won't complain.

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