3 recent draft picks Yankees got right and 2 they will regret

Yankees Draft Pick They Got Right: Spencer Jones, 2022 first round

It's too soon to declare Spencer Jones the Next Great Gigantic Outfielder, following in Dave Winfield and Aaron Judge's footsteps.

It's not too soon, though, to declare selecting Jones to be a massive win, considering how rare it's been for a superstar talent to fall to the Yankees at the bottom of the first round.

If you believe you can develop Jones, you take him at No. 25. Every single time.

There's still a little too much swing-and-miss in Jones' game, even in a more liberal environment for swinging and missing. He's begun the season by posting an .853 OPS through his first 23 games, occasionally showing off absurd talent (his two-homer game and two-triple, two-stolen base showcase against Boston's affiliate last week both come to mind). Thirty-seven strikeouts in 98 at-bats is hefty, however, and will need to be drilled down on moving forward.

Warts and all, it would feel absurd to say the Yankees should've let Jones go elsewhere with last summer's 25th pick. He's a potential five-tool talent at a position of need. He's a college bat who might move quickly. He's the best-case scenario that late in the first round, as long as he goes to an organization that can handle the development challenge. Luckily, the Yankees did it with Judge, the 32nd overall selection back in 2013. This might be the thing they're best at.