The Yankees have always insisted Spencer Jones was more than just a power hitter.
They also praised his speed and athleticism.
It was that latter part that was on display in Wednesday’s Game 2 wild-card clinching 9-2 win in The Bronx.
With the Yankees clinging to a two-run lead, Jones led off the bottom of the sixth against Garrett Crochet, one of the game’s premier lefty pitchers, just coming back from a five-month absence due to a shoulder injury.
Jones whiffed, but Crochet badly bounced the third strike and it got away from Adley Rutschman.
Jones hustled down the line and after initially being ruled out, reached first when the call was overturned.
The 6-foot-7 Jones then attempted to steal second and Rutschman’s throw went into center, allowing Jones to get to third.
With the infield in, fellow rookie George Lombard Jr. drove in Jones with a single to spark a six-run inning.
It’s the part of his game that kept the Yankees confident the 25-year-old could still contribute after he got off to a 4-for-24 start with a dozen strikeouts in his first 10 games in the majors.
But when Jones returned to The Bronx later in the season, he had improved his approach at the plate and showed he could hit in the majors.
Jim Hendry, special assistant to GM Brian Cashman — who was among the Yankee scouts who evaluated Jones while he was at Vanderbilt — said the fast development shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
“Big guys like that, it takes them longer to adjust,’’ Hendry said prior to the game. “Sure, they’re gonna strike out a lot. They’ve got more holes to figure out how to fix. But you know when they do, they can be special.”
As Hendry noted, the Yankees “have always liked big players.”
Still, there aren’t many examples of players Jones’ size hitting well, with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton being two exceptions.
Jones is trying to become another, and the Yankees have seen some promising signs in the second half of the season.
As they’ve dealt with the lengthy absence of Judge to rib and calf injuries, multiple injuries to Trent Grisham, as well as another disappointing season from Jasson Domínguez, Jones has been thrust into an important role.
In Game 1, the Yankees went with the lefty-swinging Jones against left-hander Payton Tolle.
He had a pair of solid at-bats against Tolle, and Aaron Boone said Wednesday that he considered having Giancarlo Stanton pinch hit for Jones to lead off the bottom of the seventh against another southpaw, Alec Gamboa.
Instead, Boone stayed with Jones, who singled.
Among the reasons Boone stuck with Jones was the success he’d had versus lefties in the majors — just part of what’s developing into a well-rounded game for the former first-round pick.
“It’s hard in the modern game to hit when you’re 6-foot-7,’’ Hendry said. “But when you do it well, you don’t have to worry about launch and other things. When you’re that big, the ball lifts itself. He’s still got a lot of work to do, but he’s becoming a good player already.”
