There are worse players for young MLB hopefuls to emulate than Shohei Ohtani, and one New York Yankees prospect appears to have really taken Ohtani’s methods to heart.
Outfielder Spencer Jones blasted his first home run of the spring on Saturday against the Detroit Tigers. Some quickly noticed that his swing bears an uncanny resemblance to Ohtani’s, including the Yankees’ television broadcast.
There is unquestionably a resemblance between the two players, though as a lefty power hitter, Jones is inevitably going to look like some of his peers. The key, of course, is being able to do it consistently.
So far, consistency has escaped Jones. The 24-year-old hit 35 home runs last season between Double-A and Triple-A, but he also struck out 179 times. Those things go hand-in-hand for a lot of power hitters, but the Yankees would no doubt like to see more consistent contact from him.