NYY News: Spencer stepping up
NYY News: Spencer stepping up
The Athletic | Brendan Kuty ($): Spencer Jones entered 2024 as the most hyped prospect in the system that hadn’t gotten a taste of the bigs yet, with a monster power profile and Aaron Judge comparison to live up to. He started the minor league season slightly delayed but has been raking since taking the field, and has been looking for any improvement he could make — including an adjustment that the coaching staff introduced leading into this season where he’s shifted his hands from up near his ears down towards his chest. The change has the org hopeful that he’ll be able to get into the strike zone quicker and convert more of his prodigious power into better overall contact. If the results so far are to be analyzed, good things are brewing for the team’s No. 2 prospect.
Sporting News | Kevin Hickey: Once upon a time Gerrit Cole was selected first overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates and debuted with the immediate propulsion to the top of their rotation. Now, more than a decade into Cole’s MLB career, another star arm is stepping into his footsteps — Paul Skenes is set to make his MLB debut less than a year after being drafted with the top pick. Cole had some advice for the young gun and his old team, hoping that he jumps in and becomes a name instantly while urging Pittsburgh to not worry over innings and let Skenes let loose on the mound.
ESPN: The Yankees have found their power bats of late, and it’s finally cooking across the top of the lineup. Giancarlo Stanton is one of those bats, and on Wednesday he launched the hardest hit ball of 2024, a laser into the second deck of left field. It went out at 119.9 mph, 1.1 faster than his homer off of Justin Verlander on Tuesday — a great indicator that Big G is on point again. Statcast’s tracker is practically owned by Stanton, as this blast ranks as the third fastest that they’ve marked behind two other Stantonian bombs from 2018 and 2020, respectively.
NY Post | Greg Joyce: It’s no secret that the Yankees outfield got a major renovation this offseason, but for all of the hype that Juan Soto has brought Alex Verdugo’s addition in left has been highly valuable as well. Left field has been a pretty abysmal spot in the lineup since Brett Gardner wasn’t re-signed after 2021 (and if we’re being honest, that last year or so was pretty rough from him too). Verdugo’s stepped in and given the team consistency at a high level from a spot that they got too accustomed with mediocrity at best, one of the biggest turnarounds and reasons for the team’s success through the first month-plus of the year.