Spencer Jones, a towering outfield prospect for the New York Yankees, drew inspiration from Shohei Ohtani during spring training. In his first Grapefruit League at-bat, Jones hit a long home run in the Yankees' 20-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers. The performance highlighted adjustments to his swing aimed at achieving greater consistency.
In Tampa, Florida, Spencer Jones has been working to refine his batting mechanics, seeking a repeatable swing that maintains his power. The 24-year-old outfielder cited Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani as a key influence. "He’s a great reference of a really good mover with a great swing," Jones said. "He’s one of those guys that I look at with some of the stuff he does, and I try to apply it in whichever way I can."
On Saturday, Jones connected on a belt-high, top-of-the-zone, mid-90s pitch from Detroit Tigers pitcher Keider Montero for a home run that cleared the right-field pavilion at George M. Steinbrenner Field. The blast came in the Yankees' dominant 20-3 win during Grapefruit League play. Jones spent his offseason focusing on hand movement as a trigger, a technique Ohtani has mastered.
Yankees captain Aaron Judge praised the adjustments after watching Jones round the bases. "The minute he puts that foot down with that little toe-tap, he’s ready to hit," Judge said. "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."
Manager Aaron Boone noted Jones's early camp struggles with mechanics but highlighted the clean swing on the home run. "It was really a clean move at it, and obviously a no-doubter," Boone said. He added that Jones aims for one complete move, similar to Ohtani, and their comparable sizes could aid the emulation.
Ohtani, the National League's reigning Most Valuable Player and a four-time MVP, posted a .282/.392/.622 line with 55 home runs, 102 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases in 2025, leading the Dodgers to back-to-back World Series titles. Jones, the Yankees' No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline, hit 35 home runs in the minors last year, splitting time between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.