Spring Training is just around the corner, so it is high time for MLB ball clubs like the New York Yankees to start shaping up their preseason rosters. For New York, it is an opportunity for them to showcase two of their best prospects in Spencer Jones and Chase Hampton, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
“Jones and Hampton headlined a group of 26 non-roster players invited to big league camp, increasing the number of players scheduled to report to 66. Yankees pitchers and catchers are set to report to Tampa, Fla., on Feb. 14, with the team’s first full-squad workout slated for Feb. 20.”
The 22-year-old Jones is ranked 84th overall on MLB.com’s 2024 prospect rankings. He played for two minor league teams in 2023, batting .268/.337/.450 with 13 home runs and 56 RBIs through 100 games and 411 at-bats for the High-A Hudson Valley. With Double-A Somerset, the left-handed hitter batted .261.333/.406 with three home runs and 10 RBIs across 17 games and 69 at-bats.
Hampton, also 22, is the Yankees’ top-ranked pitcher and is No. 92 overall on the prospect rankings. In 9 starts in 2023 for High-A Hudson Valley, the right-handed pitcher went 2-1 with a 2.68 ERA. During his 11-start stint in the same year with Double-A Somerset, Hampton went 2-2 with a 4.37 ERA.
It might still take some time before either Jones or Hampton will get the call to play for the Yankees in the big leagues, but they have a chance to shine in Spring Training.
The Yankees went just 13-18 in the Grapefruit league during the 2023 Spring Training then had a disappointing 82-80 record in the regular season that followed.
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