Yankees minor league outfielder Spencer Jones, the former La Costa Canyon High standout, is often the best player in any clubhouse he’s in.
Then came his appearance at last weekend’s Futures Game in Seattle.
“It was really cool,” Jones said. “Especially being around that many really talented players and interesting coaches that have all that experience and all of them being in one setting.”
Jones, the Yankees’ first-round pick last year, is settling in playing for the organization’s advanced Class A affiliate, Hudson Valley, in upstate New York.
Because of his production, and potential, Jones was selected to the Futures Game, which features baseball’s most compelling minor league stars.
That had Jones playing a few days before Tuesday’s All-Star Game, digging into the batter’s box at T-Mobile Park like he once did at Ecke Park in Encinitas.
Those Encinitas Little League days are far behind Jones, who fairly or not, is being compared to Yankees superstar Aaron Judge. Both are big, both hit the ball far and both are the focus of Yankees fans.
Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, a former Yankee, checks off those boxes, too. Winfield, who started with the San Diego Padres, sought out Jones during batting practice to make a connection.
“Seeing former players that you looked up to was really cool,” said Jones, who finished the first half hitting .263 with 10 home runs, 40 RBI and 21 stolen bases.
What did Winfield whisper in Jones’ ear?
“The biggest thing was that I need to learn from everything I do, like the Futures Game,” Jones said. “And he stressed that baseball is all about making adjustments and you have to be willing to make changes, or to understand what you need to work on.”
Jones never saw Winfield play, but he was Jones’ mother and grandmother’s favorite player.
If nothing else, the 6-foot-6 Jones was among the 6-foot-6 Winfield’s favorites at the Futures Game.
“It’s funny because he was joking that he liked talking to taller players because he can look them in the eye,” Jones said.
Dave Winfield takes time to talk to Spencer Jones before the Futures Game pic.twitter.com/YCX7KEWOZY
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 8, 2023
Jones, 22, doesn’t mind zeroing in on where he needs to make strides.
“For me, it’s making more contact and getting on base more often,” he said. “That and keeping my foot on the gas pedal.”
Jones seldom runs out of fuel, just like he doesn’t run himself into the ground. He learned long ago, and reminds himself daily, that baseball is a game built around failure.
It’s among the tips Jones gives youngsters wanting to be like him. To be a good ballplayer, turning the page is just as important as turning two up the middle.
“You learn pretty quickly that it’s an everyday thing,” Jones said about punching a clock while playing baseball. “It’s a lot of games and opportunities, but you have to have forgetfulness and be able to forgive yourself. Otherwise, it’s too easy to get frustrated.
“You start to understand and appreciate there is always more baseball to come, and you have to have the maturity to make changes and the presence of mind to learn from different people.”
Jones leaned on an upperclassman when he was an LCC freshman.
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mickey Moniak was the Mavericks’ big star during his senior year, leading to him becoming the first overall pick of the 2016 draft.
Jones remains on Moniak’s radar and vice versa.
“We hit together in the offseason and I’m always keeping track of him,” Moniak said when in town recently for the Padres series. “For him to be selected for the Futures Game was big.”
Jones appreciates the love and would love nothing more than to make the big leagues like Moniak. Those assumptions for Jones are in the forefront with a New York media corps eager to christen the next great player to reach the Big Apple.
He’s been the subject of TV interviews and a recent story in the New York Post.
“It’s one of those things that if you constantly think about what people are thinking about, it limits yourself from being comfortable and yourself on the field,” Jones said. “I don’t think too much about expectations. I just want to go out and play and be the player I can be.”
Play on Jones, as many are watching. That includes Dave Winfield.
Contact Jay Paris at [email protected] and follow him @jparis_sports
