The Yankees promoted Jones from High-A Hudson Valley to Double-A Somerset on Sunday.
The 22-year-old outfield prospect turned in a .787 OPS while striking out at a 29.1 percent clip over 457 plate appearances at Hudson Valley. He had cut his strikeout rate down to a more palatable 24.1 percent since the All-Star break and has consistently made an impact on the basepaths throughout the campaign, notching 34 steals in 43 attempts.
Jones is hitting .263 with a .356 OBP, three home runs, 10 steals and a 27.4 percent strikeout rate in his last 30 games for High-A Hudson Valley.
Jones is having a strong statistical year, slashing .263/.330/.470 with 10 home runs and 21 steals, but given that he turned 22 in May, he's simply meeting expectations against High-A pitching. His strikeouts are down slightly and his walks are trending up over the past month, but we should learn much more about the viability of his hit tool when he is facing age-appropriate pitching at Double-A.
Jones is slashing .351/.405/.730 with three home runs, two steals and a 14:4 K:BB in 42 plate appearances with High-A Hudson Valley.
The 25th overall pick in last year's draft, Jones still isn't at an age-appropriate level, but if he keeps mashing High-A pitching, he could spend a good chunk of the year at Double-A. Jones has an elite 65 percent hard-hit rate and a similarly unsustainable .476 BABIP, but we knew entering the season that he would be an exit velocity darling. The big question is whether he will make enough contact in the upper levels to get to his impressive raw tools.
Jones has hit .352/.416/.550 with four home runs and 12 steals through 24 minor-league games, most of which have come at Single-A Tampa.
The No. 25 overall pick in this year's draft, Jones has long been compared to Yankees superstar Aaron Judge, and it's hard not to see some similarities between the two 6-foot-7, power-hitting, nimble-footed Californians. (It gets even eerier when you look at their college stats.) At 21, Jones is a little on the older side for the Florida State League, but he's doing everything you could possibly ask for from a 2022 draftee. Don't sleep on him; as a college bat, he could move quickly through the organization.
