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TAMPA, Fla. — The potential the New York Yankees see in Spencer Jones, the towering top prospect who reminds many of a certain giant outfielder, was obvious in the first and last swings he took during his time in major league camp this spring.

The first, in the Yankees’ exhibition opener on Feb. 24, produced a mammoth 470-foot home run. The last, two weeks later, was an inside-out cut on a pitch darting under his hands that the left-handed slugger deposited the other way, down the left-field line. He glided into second base for a double.

Massive raw power? Check. Elite speed? Check. Bat-to-ball skills? Improving.

“He’s such a presence and such a dynamic athlete,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after Jones slashed that double. “And in a lot of ways he’s just kind of scratching the surface on his baseball career.”

That feeling permeates the organization, from the clubhouse to the owner’s suite. The 6-foot-6 Jones is an unusual blend of power, size and speed the team envisions clubbing home runs over the short porch at Yankee Stadium and stealing bases deep into October. The Yankees firmly believe the 22-year-old is a future star. It’s why he is still in the organization.

The Yankees could have made Jones the centerpiece in a major trade in recent months — even just this week — to improve a roster in win-now mode for the 2024 season. But team brass is so convinced of Jones’ talents that he has been deemed virtually untouchable.

In December, the Yankees acquired Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres without including Jones in the package. Last month, the Milwaukee Brewers sent former Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes to division rival Baltimore Orioles after the Yankees reportedly refused to include Jones in a deal.

This week, despite news that reigning American League Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole would miss at least the start of the season with an elbow injury, the Yankees refused to part with Jones in a trade for Dylan Cease. The Chicago White Sox instead shipped Cease to the Padres on Wednesday.

Starting pitching remains the Yankees’ biggest concern heading into Opening Day. Moving Jones, who isn’t expected to contribute to the big league team this season, could have helped address it. The Yankees wouldn’t budge.

“It’s cool to be held in that sense, or that regard,” Jones said. “Like my buddies from back home that are big baseball fans, they’ll send me all the stuff because I’m not seeing it.”

The Yankees re-assigned Jones to minor league camp earlier this month, and he is expected to begin the season in Double-A. He’s on the Yankees’ Spring Breakout roster for an all-prospects showcase on Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays.

But the Yankees project him in the Bronx by 2025, stationed in center field for years to come. That would require him living up to the hype.

Jones batted .267 with 16 home runs and 43 steals in 117 games — including 101 starts in center field — between High-A and Double-A in his first full professional season. He struck out 155 times, and the 16 home runs were a bit underwhelming for someone with his power. But the performance still raised expectations.

ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel recently listed Jones as baseball’s 56th-best prospect. Last month, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner named Jones as one of three prospects, along with pitchers Will Warren and Chase Hampton, he is “hesitant to give up.”

“Plus run and power on a tremendous frame,” one rival scout said. “But, with that big frame and strength, comes some overall stiffness. The swing is naturally on the longer side, but he does have enough bat speed to give him a chance.”

The similarities between Jones and Aaron Judge are hard to ignore. There’s the abnormal height for baseball players — Judge is 6-7, just an inch taller than Jones. Both, despite their size, can comfortably patrol center field. Both have huge power. Both were Yankees first-round picks out of college.

There are differences. For one, Jones both throws and hits left-handed. Secondly, he boasts elite speed. Judge noted that Jones was up there with shortstop Anthony Volpe as the fastest Yankees in camp.

Of course, Judge has grown into one of baseball’s most productive power hitters in recent history, while Jones is still trying to turn his tools into consistent production.

“I know this sounds hyperbolic, but Jones has louder tools than Judge,” another rival scout said. “Jones is just a freak of nature.”

Then there’s the fact that Jones, unlike Judge, is seen by the Yankees as an everyday center fielder from Day 1 as a major leaguer. That alone would be a feat, considering the thin history of exceptionally tall guys at that position.

Only 11 players 6-6 or taller have ever played the position in the major leagues. Judge, the Yankees’ center fielder this season, just so happens to be one of them.

“I think it’s unfair for him to be compared to anybody because he’s so unique,” Judge said. “He’s such a different hitter than me. I think he’s a different athlete than me. Like he’s exceptional, man. I wish I had that speed.”

Jones focused on hitting as a star at La Costa Canyon High School outside San Diego. Then, near the end of his high school career, he became a two-way player. In six months, he said, his fastball jumped from 86 to 94 mph. A 6-6 high school southpaw throwing 94 mph? Scouts salivated.

“We’d have scout meetings my senior year of high school and they would all talk to me as if I was a pitcher,” Jones said. “And I honestly didn’t like that that much. Because I was like pitching was one thing I did, but I really liked to hit.”

Spencer’s ascent hit a snag when he fractured his elbow throwing a curveball during a game in his senior year. Major league clubs, as a result, weren’t willing to meet his bonus price. He sank all the way to the 31st round in the 2019 MLB draft, where he was selected by the Los Angeles Angels. Instead, he went to Vanderbilt.

He was given three gloves when he arrived in Nashville — one for pitching and one for the outfield, plus a first baseman’s mitt. He began as a first baseman in 2020, but he couldn’t make basic throws. He had the yips.

“I just never rehabbed [my arm] right,” Jones said. “It was a simple rehab, there was just some miscommunication.”

COVID shortened the 2020 season, which allowed Jones to properly rehab the arm. He resumed pitching that summer but tore his ulnar collateral ligament and underwent Tommy John surgery. That was it for him on the mound.

“I was always more of a thrower than I was a pitcher,” Jones said. “But it was kind of an identity crisis. I didn’t know what I was going to be better at. After the UCL, it was like, ‘All right, let’s put all our eggs in the hitting basket. We’re not going to pitch anymore.'”

After DHing his sophomore season, he asked to move to the outfield as a junior to, as he put it, “lengthen out my arm again.” Once they saw him there, he stayed — and took off.

Jones hit .370 with 12 home runs, 14 steals and a 1.103 OPS in 61 games as Vanderbilt’s everyday right fielder. It was his first full healthy season focused solely on hitting since his junior year of high school. The breakout prompted the Yankees to select him with the 25th pick in the 2022 MLB draft and pay him a $2,880,800 bonus.

Less than two years later, Jones was mashing baseballs and turning heads in big league camp.

“Impressive was the first word that comes to mind,” Yankees hitting coach James Rowson said.

It took one swing for Jones to show why the hoopla surrounding him exists. Baseballs smashed 470 feet are rare. Center fielders that tall — and fast — are rarer. The Yankees are betting this is just the beginning.

“I feel I’m still developing as a hitter,” Jones said. “There’s still a million things I can learn. I’m not set in my ways. I’m only 22 years old.”

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2025 MLB Home Run Derby: The field is set! Who is the slugger to beat?

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2025 MLB Home Run Derby: The field is set! Who is the slugger to beat?

The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.

Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.

On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.

With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.

Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more


2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet

Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.

Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.


2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet

Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.

Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.


2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet

Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.

Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.


2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet

Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.

Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.


2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet

Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.

Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.


2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet

Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.

Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.


2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet

Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.

Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.


2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet

Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.

Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.

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Ohtani’s 3 scoreless innings help Dodgers end skid

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Ohtani's 3 scoreless innings help Dodgers end skid

SAN FRANCISCO — Shohei Ohtani continued his work back from elbow surgery as he pitched three scoreless innings to help the Los Angeles Dodgers end a seven-game skid with a 2-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday.

Working as an opener for the fifth time this season after not pitching in all of 2024, Ohtani threw 36 pitches, 25 for strikes while serving as Los Angeles’ opener for the fifth time this season. He allowed one hit and struck out the side on 12 pitches in the first inning when his fastball was twice clocked at 99.9 mph.

The Giants’ only two runners against Ohtani came on a four-pitch walk to Jung Hoo Lee in the second inning and Mike Yastrzemski’s single in the third. He departed with a 1-0 lead after three innings.

The two-way Japanese star was also the Dodgers’ designated hitter and batted leadoff. He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

Ohtani has allowed one run and five hits over nine innings this season.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Judge MLB’s fastest to 350 HRs, but Yankees lose

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Judge MLB's fastest to 350 HRs, but Yankees lose

NEW YORK — Aaron Judge became the fastest player to hit 350 home runs, reaching the mark with a two-run drive for the New York Yankees off the Chicago CubsBrad Keller on Saturday.

Judge hit his 35th home run of the season, a two-run blast in the ninth, but it was too little too late as the Yankees fell to the Cubs 5-2 in the Bronx.

“I just think he’s playing in a different league,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after the game.

Playing in his 1,088th game, Judge bettered Mark McGwire’s record of 1,280 by nearly 200 games.

“Big Mac did a lot of great things in this game, and he’s definitely a legend,” Judge said.

“Would have been great if we got a win today. I’ve been surrounded by a lot of great teammates, been on some good teams, so they really put me in the best position to go out there and perform at my best.”

Judge, who turned 33 in April, debuted with the Yankees at age 24 in 2016. McGwire finished in 2001 at age 38 with 583 homers, currently 11th on the career list.

Chicago starter Matthew Boyd gave up a pair of doubles to Judge on the afternoon but kept the rest of the Yankees in check, winning the matchup of All-Star left-handers against Max Fried, who left after just three innings with another blister on his pitching hand.

A first time All-Star, Boyd (10-3) won his fourth straight start and fifth consecutive decision, giving up four hits in eight scoreless innings with six strikeouts and no walks. He threw 62 of 85 pitches for strikes.

Daniel Palencia, throwing at up to 101.1 mph, got two outs for his 11th save in 12 chances to help snap the Yankees’ five-game winning streak.

Fried (11-3) allowed nine of 18 batters to reach, giving up four runs — three earned — six hits and three walks in three innings. He threw just 39 of 73 pitches for strikes.

Fried, a three-time All-Star, was on the injured list for blisters on his left index finger in 2018, ’19, ’21 and ’23. He had been 6-0 against the Cubs.

Nico Hoerner tripled leading off the game and scored on Kyle Tucker’s groundout. Carson Kelly and Ian Happ hit run-scoring singles in the third around Dansby Swanson’s RBI grounder.

Kelly homered in the eighth off Jonathan Loaisiga, who has allowed a career-high seven home runs over 23⅓ innings in his return from Tommy John surgery.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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