Yankees prospect Spencer Jones to headline team's Spring Breakout roster
The Yankees’ Spencer Jones takes part in outfield drills during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Feb. 23. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
TAMPA, Fla. — Hey, kids! It’s almost Spring Breakout time!
No, Spring Break hasn’t been renamed. Spring Breakout is a new initiative of Major League Baseball that has each team fielding a squad of prospects to play a spring training game against prospects from another club.
It's modeled on the successful Futures Game that has been part of All-Star Game festivities since 1999, and MLB hopes the March 14-17 event will focus fans’ attention on the stars of tomorrow with Opening Day to follow two weeks later.
All 30 teams announced their preliminary rosters for the event on Thursday. For the Yankees, that’s 25 names, most of whom are not yet familiar to fans of the big-league team.
But there are a few well-known future Baby Bombers, including spring training sensation Spencer Jones, pitching hopefuls Chase Hampton and Will Warren, and outfielder Everson Pereira, the only one among the 25 who has major-league experience.
Pereira, 22, got 93 at-bats in a late-season call-up and hit .151 for the 2023 Yankees. He is expected to start the season in Triple-A.
“It’s something that we're doing for the first time and I think it's cool,” Pereira said on Thursday through an interpreter. “A lot of fellow teammates are going to be participating and I think it’s a good opportunity to kind of show what the future may be, could be, so that's exciting.”
The Yankees’ initial roster for the game includes seven pitchers (Hampton, Warren, Kyle Carr, Henry Lalane, Carlos Lagrange, Jack Neely and Brock Selvidge), three catchers (Rafael Flores, Agustin Ramirez and Ben Rice), a utility player (Jesus Rodriguez), nine infielders (Roderick Arias, Keiner Delgado, Caleb Durbin, George Lombard Jr., Roc Riggio, TJ Rumfield, Jared Serna, Enmanuel Tejeda and Jorbit Vivas) and five outfielders (Jones, Pereira, Jace Avina, John Cruz and Anthony Hall).
The Yankees’ Spring Breakout game is scheduled for March 16 against Blue Jays prospects at 4:05 p.m. at Steinbrenner Field. The big-league Yankees and Jays will play a regular spring training game at 1:05, and folks who sit through that entire game can stay for the seven-inning prospects extravaganza, too.
The Spring Breakout game will be televised by YES and streamed on MLB’s digital platforms.
Jones, the 22-year-old centerfielder who is ticketed for Double-A, was the early sensation of Yankees camp as he hit .467 (7-for-15), including a 475-foot home run that got tongues wagging.
Hampton and Warren are a pair of emerging righthanders who could end up making their major-league debuts in 2024 if the Yankees need starting pitching depth. Warren, 24, has reached Triple-A, but the 22-year-old Hampton may have a higher ceiling.
Another name to watch is Vivas, whom the Yankees acquired from the Dodgers along with lefty reliever Victor Gonzalez for shortstop prospect Trey Sweeney in the offseason. The lefty-swinging Vivas, 22, hit a pair of home runs early in spring training.
"Spring Breakout will provide a new opportunity to showcase the future stars of the game as they continue on their journey to the major leagues," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement last month. "Our fans will get unique opportunities to meet our best prospects, get autographs and see the next generation of major-leaguers up close. We are thrilled that Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball and all of our clubs are working closer than ever to grow the game and to shine a brighter light on our future All-Stars."
As with the Futures Game, the Spring Breakout games will use robot umpires. Well, not literally. MLB calls it the ABS — automated ball-strike system. Teams will have three chances to challenge a ball-strike call by the ABS.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
