Spencer Jones made odd Yankees history before his MLB debut even began

The stage is set. The New York Yankees possess the most gigantic boom-or-bust prospect in the league, and we're finally going to get the opportunity to see if he can prove his worth at the MLB level once and for all. He'll be in the lineup on May 8 as the club travels to Milwaukee to take on the Brewers, but before he even does anything, he'll enter the history books as the first player ever in the franchise's storied history to wear No. 78.

With 22 numbers out of circulation thanks to the Yankees' lengthy history of employing legends, it's not a surprise to see some funky number choices when youngsters finally make the show. However, considering the length of time the organization has been in existence, it's kind of wild to believe that there's actually a number that's never been worn before.

That's not the only history being made, either. Joining forces with Aaron Judge, the Yankees will become the first club in Major League Baseball history to roster two position players who are six-foot-seven or taller.

Ben Rice returns to Yankees' first lineup with Spencer Jones

Jones' close, personal friend Ben Rice will appear and bat second in Friday night's lineup in Milwaukee, while Jones will bat sixth and DH. No pressure. No, like, actually ... the pressure is minimal.

Jones' strengths make him an incredibly thrilling prospect. He's got the ability to hit the ball as hard and far as anyone, Judge included. He runs like a gazelle, and that shows up in his ability to roam the outfield as well as swipe a ton of bases.

The concerns are just as loud, however. Jones' swing and miss tendencies are dramatic, and the rate at which he can pile up K's suggests he will be prone to extremely long slumps, if he can even get it together to perform in the first place.

His size and power are remarkable, and cause natural comparisons to Judge, despite the fact that it's unfair to hold up any player against the far-and-away best hitter in the game today. That's not going to stop folks from making them, though, and the fact that they have eerily similar minor league stats is only going to make the chatter grow louder.

Jones owns a .270/.351/.497 minor league line totalling an .848 OPS. Judge posted a career line of .276/.371/.471 for an .842 OPS. Both behemoths were 24 at the time of their callups. Uncanny!

It's worth noting that Judge hit just .179/.263/.345 with four homers and a 44.2% strikeout rate over 27 games when he was first called up in 2016. The following year, he hit 52 homers and had the AL MVP stolen from him by Jose Altuve.

So, don't be surprised if Jones struggles. We'll be hoping for the best and that he hits the ground running, but don't expect some sort of history-making debut. Not only is it not fair, but he's already etched his name in the record books, even if it's for something as strange as his uniform number. Now, it's time to kick back, enjoy the ride, and start trying to figure out if this kid has really got the goods.

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