Spencer Jones has huge day as Yankees pummel Phillies with hit parade

A mix of Yankees regulars and top prospects put together a hit parade on Tuesday afternoon, pummeling the Phillies at BayCare Ballpark.

Everybody in the starting lineup had at least one hit in the 12-3 victory including eight hits and six runs for the Yankees against Phillies ace Zach Wheeler.

Paul Goldschmidt crushed his first homer in a Yankees uniform. Jasson Domínguez also went yard, his first long ball of the spring. And 19-year-old phenom George Lombard Jr. continued to swing a hot bat, driving a 106.4-mph single to the opposite field off Wheeler.

The story of the day was Spencer Jones, though.

Jones was 3-for-3 and a triple shy of the cycle out of the No. 9 spot in the Yankees’ order.

The top outfield prospect is now batting .429 this spring with a 1.500 OPS, impressing at the plate after making an offseason swing change.

Jones smoked an RBI double into the right-field corner off Wheeler in the second. He then powered a three-run home run to right one inning later on a two-strike slider at the bottom of the zone from Phillies right-hander Cody Stashak.

The 23-year-old’s third hit of the game was a 102.7-mph single off Phillies lefty Ranger Suárez in the fifth.

Jones’ potential is undeniable. He’s a former first-round pick with as high of a ceiling as any other prospect in the Yankees’ system. But strikeouts have held him back. Last season, Jones struck out 200 times in 122 games with Double-A Somerset, struggling to fix what has always been his fatal flaw as a prospect.

Tuesday’s outburst is more proof that good things happen when Jones makes contact, especially when he puts the ball in the air.

If this swing change can bring out those results more often, this can be a huge year for Jones. He could get a long look at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre over the summer, putting himself in a position to be called up for the first time by the end of this year.

NOTABLE

-- Will Warren threw three innings of one-run ball against a representative Phillies lineup on Tuesday, striking out four batters. The only hit he allowed was a solo homer from Max Kepler. Warren has given up one run over eight innings so far this spring, good for a 1.13 ERA.

-- Yankees closer Devin Williams made his first appearance of the spring, striking out one in a scoreless inning.

-- Oswaldo Cabrera, who is battling for the third base job this spring, had two more hits on Tuesday. He’s batting .235 with a .728 OPS in Grapefruit League play thus far.

-- Austin Wells was leading off again, an alignment the Yankees could use during the regular season. He lined out hard to start the game against Wheeler, smacking a 103.9-mph single in the Yankees' seven-run second. Wells is now hitting .400 with a 1.255 OPS this spring.

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Max Goodman may be reached at mgoodman@njadvancemedia.com.