Bryan Hoch
TAMPA, Fla. – Spencer Jones and Aaron Judge, both standing at 6-foot-7, each hit home runs in the New York Yankees’ Grapefruit League home opener on Saturday, leading to a 20-3 win over the Detroit Tigers at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Jones credited Judge’s leadership during spring training, saying: “He’s the captain for a reason. He’s looking out for everybody, and he’s definitely helped me, especially so far this camp. It’s just little things here and there; he’s not somebody to go pry. You just ask him questions and he’s always open for a conversation.”
In the second inning, Jones hit his first Grapefruit League homer of the spring off Keider Montero with a 408-foot drive calculated by Statcast at 111.7 mph off the bat. Jones commented on the measurement: “They all count for the same, so it was cool.”
Judge observed changes in Jones’ swing and compared his approach to that of Shohei Ohtani. Judge said: “The minute [Jones] puts that foot down with that little toe-tap, he’s ready to hit. They might have gotten him with a lot of high heaters in the past, or even last season. I think that’s just going to help him.
“He doesn’t have a big leg kick and doesn’t have to worry about trying to get that down. I liked the results I saw in that first at-bat. That quickness, that readiness, it’s really going to be a game-changer for him.”
Last season in the Minor Leagues, Jones hit 35 home runs across Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and finished as MLB Pipeline’s No. 4 prospect for the Yankees organization. Despite concerns about his strikeout rate—179 strikeouts in 438 Minor League at-bats—general manager Brian Cashman has noted that Jones would likely already be playing in Major League games if he were with another team.
Currently, Jones faces competition from Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, Judge himself, and Jasson Domínguez for outfield spots on the Yankees roster.
Judge continued his strong performance after winning his third American League MVP Award last year as he prepares for Team USA in the upcoming World Baseball Classic (WBC). Judge explained his approach: “Even going back to last year, I tried to get more at-bats early on so I could be ready in April,” adding about WBC preparation: “But also, the WBC, you don’t want to get exposed. You’re playing for your country. You’ve got to be ready to go.”
In Saturday’s game against Detroit pitcher Burch Smith during the third inning, Judge hit a two-run homer measured by Statcast at 420 feet with an exit velocity of 104.5 mph.
“It’s all about getting ready, but then if I don’t have results, I get asked questions about what happened to the power,” Judge said regarding his preseason focus. “At this point in my career, I’ve got things I need to work on and things I need to do that are going to help us put the best team out there.”
Judge added another solo home run off Ricky Vanasco in the fourth inning—a shot down the left-field line measuring 395 feet at 106.1 mph off the bat—similar to one previously ruled foul after inconclusive replays last April.
“I didn’t know if I should run – is it fair or is it foul?” said Judge regarding Saturday’s homerun call decision-making process.“I just kept my head down on this one.I’m like,’I’m not goingto even look atthe umpire.’”
