Spencer Jones Playing First Base: Will it Ever Happen?
A Blog by Greg
Ever since his dominant showing in spring training a few months ago, Yankees fans have been dying to see the second highest ranked prospect in the organization be promoted to the major leagues. The 24-year-old outfielder, Spencer Jones, has been described as a “left-handed Aaron Judge” due to his hitting prowess and herculean size (Jones stands at 6’7” and weighs over 240 lbs). As Spencer Jones’ estimated call-up date grows near, fans have begun to speculate about his role on the current 2025 Yankees and beyond.
Spencer Jones was drafted by the Yankees with the 25th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Amateur draft. Jones was touted as “one of the best two-way prospects” coming out of high school and ultimately decided to take his talents to Vanderbilt University to play college ball. Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow forced Spencer Jones to retire from pitching and become a full-time position player. In 2020, Jones only appeared in the field eleven times; six of those appearances were at first base. For the remainder of his college career, Jones exclusively played outfield for the Commodores. In recent years, Jones’ history as a first baseman has resurfaced and Yankees fans have been wondering if the young Jones will move to first base when he is inevitably promoted to the MLB this season.
Given the current construction of the Yankees’ roster, first base is the most glaring weak spot. Paul Goldschmidt has been incredible all season (.333 AVG, 6 HR, 147 OPS+), but the 37-year-old veteran is not the long-term answer for New York. Ben Rice has also had a fantastic offensive season but is a below-average fielder at first base (-6.5 defensive rating in only 58 career games played at 1B) and fits much better as the team’s DH. With Trent Grisham having one of his best seasons to date in CF, Aaron Judge holding down RF, and one of the most intriguing young players in Yankees’ history playing LF in Jasson Dominguez, the outfield seems too crowded to insert Jones in the middle of the season.
The logical option in future years is to have Aaron Judge or Jasson Dominguez move to first base. Dominguez is by all accounts a poor fielder in LF, as his defensive rating is -8.8 for his career. Additionally, as Judge has gotten older, his defense has begun to regress. It is not unlikely that the Yankees will take a page out of the Philadelphia Phillies’ playbook and move Judge to first, the same way Philly moved Bryce Harper to 1B a few years prior. Additionally, Spencer Jones is a very talented outfielder and seems to be very comfortable playing all three outfield positions. His future with the Yankees is likely in the outfield.
Even if first base is not the long-term plan for Spencer Jones, there is no reason the Yankees’ organization should not be giving him in-game reps at first while he is with the Somerset Patriots (the Yankees’ AA affiliate). Positional versatility is very important in the MLB, and Jones’ offensive presence will be even more important to the Yankees if there are multiple places to put him in the field. The Yankees have it “easy” right now with Giancarlo Stanton on the IR, but when he returns and fills the DH role, Aaron Boone will have his hands full trying to find the proper positions to play all of his talented hitters.
In conclusion, even if the Yankees have no plans for Spencer Jones to be the team’s future primary first baseman, having him become more comfortable with a position he has a history of playing is a smart idea. Additionally, if the Yankees are seriously considering moving Dominguez or Judge to first base in the coming years, that plan should be tested in some way or form in the 2025 regular season.
Thank you for reading, and make sure to stay tuned for more blogs coming soon!
Looks like Spencer Jones will become a trade piece for the stretch run. His position versatility will help his next team!