Scrappy Yankees outfield prospect just put up an eye-popping number to end season

The top two position players in the New York Yankees’ farm system (according to MLB’s official prospect rankings) are George Lombard Jr. and Spencer Jones, both of whom understandably get most of the headlines when it comes to up-and-coming Yankees talent. And while many people feel that Jones is on track to debut in the Bronx outfield in 2026, there’s another outfielder named “Jones” in New York’s system who isn’t far behind in that regard, if at all.

Brendan Jones, New York’s 12th-round selection in the 2024 MLB Draft, has done nothing in 2025 but reward the Yankees for having faith in him. Jones is a player with whom Yankees fans should get well-acquainted, especially given his head-turning achievement on the basepaths this season.

Yankees stud prospect Brendan Jones just bested Anthony Volpe’s base-stealing mark

Jones played 80 games with Double-A Somerset Patriots and 44 games with High-A Hudson Valley Renegades in 2025, and what’s exciting about his season is that Jones had a superior slash line in Double-A, an indication that he’s progressing rapidly and is also the kind of player who raises his level to the competition.

Jones hit .250/.365/.415 (.780 OPS) in Double-A to go along with 14 doubles, 7 home runs, 46 RBI, and 28 stolen bases. Factoring in Jones’s 23 stolen bags in High-A in 2025, his 51 total thefts this season were the most by a Yankees minor leaguer since Anthony Volpe stole 50 bases in 2022.

With the Yankees having suddenly and drastically amplified their base-stealing aggression in 2025, Jones and his wheels become an even more appropriate fit for Aaron Boone's club, potentially as early as sometime next season.

New York is expected to lose at least one starting outfielder from the current lineup (with Trent Grisham entering free agency and Cody Bellinger expected to opt out), and there’s the growing development of Aaron Judge possibly integrating more DH starts into his yearly workload.

This all creates an obvious opportunity in New York’s 2026 outfield, and Jones has done everything in his power lately to make himself an enticing name to include in the team’s big league blueprint. Beyond his base-stealing prowess, Jones wields a lefty bat that isn’t lacking power. He’s shown in the minors that he’s a reliable contact hitter with mature plate discipline, qualities that could make a transition to the majors smooth.

Jones’s speed and defensive versatility allow him to toggle between all three outfield spots, which might represent a worthwhile asset for Boone to have at his disposal in 2026, especially if the Yankees don’t answer all of their outfield questions right away, or if certain experiments (like Spencer Jones, potentially) go awry.

Brendan Jones’s 2026 destiny will depend somewhat on what transpires over the next month for the Yankees, but ultimately, an MLB career lurks on the horizon for him. It's just a matter of "when."