Yankees rookie Jones imitates Shohei Ohtani’s swing, smashing an undeniable home run

Spencer Jones has been working to develop a swing he can replicate, aiming for a balance of stability and explosiveness as a towering Yankees outfield rookie.

His newest source of inspiration is one of baseball’s most dazzling talents: Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers.

“He’s a great reference with a smooth motion and excellent swing,” Jones said. “He’s one of the players I watch closely; I observe certain aspects of his swing and try to apply them to my own game in any way I can.”

Today, during the Yankees’ 20-3 rout of the Tigers, Jones hit a deep home run in his first at-bat of this year’s Grapefruit League, off Tigers pitcher Keider Montero.

The 24-year-old Jones said he spent much of the offseason “trying to get a good feel with my hands and make that the key to my launch,” a skill Ohtani has mastered.

These adjustments caught the attention of Yankees captain Aaron Judge. After Jones rounded the bases, Judge offered positive feedback.

“When he plants his foot with that little toe tap, he’s ready to swing,” Judge said. “In the past, even last season, they probably threw a lot of high fastballs at him. I think this change will help him.”

“He doesn’t lift his leg dramatically, so timing isn’t a concern. I liked what he showed in his first plate appearance. That quickness, that readiness, will really change his game.”

Emulating Ohtani’s power is, to put it mildly, an extremely high standard.

As the reigning National League MVP and four-time MVP winner, Shohei Ohtani posted a .282/.392/.622 slash line in the 2025 season, hitting 55 home runs, driving in 102 runs, and stealing 20 bases, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers secure back-to-back World Series titles.

Still striving for his first major league at-bat, Jones hit 35 home runs last season in the minors, splitting time between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. According to MLB Pipeline, he ranked fourth among Yankees prospects at the end of 2025.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Jones was “experimenting with his mechanics” early in spring training, but Saturday’s performance was a reminder of what his swing can look like when everything clicks.

“That home run looked like a belt-high, edge of the strike zone, mid-90s fastball,” Boone said. “His swing was very clean and sharp — clearly an unquestionable home run.”

Jones’s home run sailed over the right field stands, completely leaving the Steinbrenner Stadium. If you’re going to model your swing after someone, it’s best to study the very best players.

“Watching how they move, he’s trying to generate full power in one motion,” Boone said. “Obviously, they have very similar builds. So hopefully, he can mimic him well.”