New York Yankees pick Vanderbilt baseball's Spencer Jones in first round of 2022 MLB Draft
Vanderbilt baseball outfielder Spencer Jones was drafted in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft, 25th overall, by the New York Yankees on Sunday night.
Jones had a breakout 2022 season, hitting .370 with 21 triples and 12 homers and being named second team All-SEC and Corvallis Regional Most Outstanding Player. He is known for having some of the top exit velocities in the draft class, along with above-average speed and arm strength.
Once a two-way prospect, the 6-foot-7 Jones is now a powerful, athletic outfielder with a sweet left-handed swing. Although Jones strikes out a lot, his upside is hard to ignore. He got better each year with the Commodores, especially as he got further from two major arm injuries suffered while pitching, one in 2019 and one in 2020.
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The second of the two injuries, a torn UCL that required Tommy John surgery, happened two years to the day before the first round of the draft, Jones said on Twitter.
He had his fair share of big moments with Vanderbilt, including scoring the walk-off run against Stanford in the 2021 College World Series, a 6-for-6 game with a walk-off single in May and a moonshot home run against Oregon State in the regional.
His selection gives the Commodores first-round picks in eight of the past nine years.
More on Spencer Jones
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Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt baseball's Spencer Jones to New York Yankees in MLB Draft 2022
