Spencer Jones may be on the doorstep of The Bronx, yet he can’t crack Baseball America’s top-100 prospect list.
The towering outfielder did not crack the list despite hitting 35 homers and posting a. 982 OPS spanning Triple-A and Double-A this past season.
Four other Yankees cracked the list, headlined by shortstop George Lombard Jr. at No. 46.
Pitcher Elmer Rodriguez (59), 2025 first-round shortstop Dax Kilby (No. 61) and pitcher Carlos Lagrange (93) round out the quartet that qualified.
Baseball America has not been kind to Jones throughout the years, ranking him as its No. 46 prospect before the 2024 season and leaving him off lists since.
He’s certainly a divisive prospect, with some projecting Aaron Judge-like power while others worrying his swing has too many holes and he will strike out way too often.
Jones, 24, slashed .274/.362/.571 with 35 homers, 80 RBIs and 29 steals this past season, and could be part of the Yankees’ Opening Day mix.
It seems he’ll start the year in the minors after Cody Bellinger re-signed Wednesday — provided he’s not traded — affording more opportunities to refine his game.
Four Yankees making the list shows that the system has depth, but their top prospect coming in at No. 46 further revealed that the system lacks top-end talent.
The Bronx Bombers have talked up Lombard for quite some time after drafting him in 2023, but he’s coming off a disappointing season in which he had a .695 OPS in Double-A.
Rodriguez-Cruz shined after arriving in the Carlos Narvaez trade, posting a 2.58 ERA with 176 strikeouts in 150 innings spanning three levels.
Kilby, the No. 39 pick in the 2025 Draft, played in just 18 minor-league games and posted an .898 OPS with 16 stolen bases.
Lagrange rounded out the list after posting a 3.83 ERA with 168 strikeouts in 120 innings spanning Double-A and Single-A.
MLB.com ranked the Yankees’ system 22nd last August, and is more bullish on the team’s prospects than Baseball America.
Lombard is No. 25, Lagrange is No. 74 and Jones ranks No. 99 in their listing, while Rodriguez comes in much lower at No. 97.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
