BRIDGEWATER — Spencer Jones may not be ascending through the minor leagues as quickly as some would like, but nights like Tuesday serve as a reminder of his immense talent. Facing Chase Dollander, rated by MLB Pipeline as the second-best right-handed pitcher in the minors, Jones crushed a 3-0 fastball for a towering 453-foot home run to center field at 115 mph. Is that the best ball that the Yankees outfielder has hit this season? “115 might be the record for me right now, but I think the one in spring training went further,” Jones said with a smile minutes after the Somerset Patriots defeated the Hartford Yard Goats, 3-2, in Game 1 of the Eastern League Division Series at TD Bank Ballpark. The 23-year-old was referencing the 470-foot blast that he struck at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa during spring training on Feb. 24. But that was an exhibition game, and this was playoff pressure. Jones remained calm and collected against Dollander, who features an upper-90s fastball, a slider, a curveball and a changeup. “Chase is one of the best arms in all of Minor League Baseball — one of the best pitching prospects there is,” Jones said. “My approach more than anything was just to stay on his fastball and kind of get to other pitches as I see them, but the main goal was just to stay on his heater. He’s got a really good fastball, and I was just lucky enough to get one.” Spencer Jones with a playoff homer off of Chase Dollander, the No. 2 RHP in Minor League Baseball according to @MLBPipeline pic.twitter.com/GJsWr1SPgV — Greg Johnson (@gregp_j) September 17, 2024 Jones batted 3-for-3 against Dollander including two hard-hit singles. The home run came in the bottom of the third inning after Somerset had fallen behind 1-0 in the top half. Even in a 3-0 count, Jones was ready to pounce on a fastball and not give the ninth overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft any leeway. “You kind of feel it — you know what I mean? — in certain situations,” Jones said. “I just felt like I had a green light, I don’t know. I was just up there, I told myself don’t miss this pitch, and got the one I wanted.” Rated by MLB Pipeline as the Yankees’ best prospect after Jasson Dominguez, Jones had an uneven season in Double-A. He clubbed 53 extra-base hits, 17 home runs and 78 RBI with 25 stolen bases and a modest .259/.336/.452 hitting line. He also became the first Yankees farmhand to strike out 200 times in a season, and only the 13th minor leaguer to do so since 2006, according to FanGraphs. Jones’ strikeout percentage rose from 28.2 in Double-A last season — albeit in only 78 plate appearances — to 36.8 in 544 plate appearances. So he clearly has work to do in the offseason from a contact standpoint if he wants to have success in Triple-A and eventually the majors. But he ended the regular season strong with OPS’ over .900 in both August and September, and now his bat might lead to the Patriots to their second Eastern League title in three years. Somerset must win one more game in Hartford on Thursday or Friday, if necessary, before advancing to the championship series next week. Another big reason the team won Tuesday was because of right-hander Bailey Dees, who outdueled Dollander by hurling 6.2 innings with nine strikeouts, one walk and two runs allowed. “You can really feel the energy here, and I think we’re all feeding off that as a team,” Dees said. “I think this team is just in a great spot right now. The togetherness, the chemistry — it’s there. It’s at an all-time high right now.” Yankees pitching prospect Bailey Dees struck out nine batters in 6.2 innings for Somerset in an Eastern League Division Series game against Hartford on Tuesday night at TD Bank Ballpark. (Somerset Patriots Photo) Dees, the Yankees’ 18th-round pick in 2021 from Penn State, converted from a reliever to a starter this year and more than doubled his innings from last year (62.1 to 137.2). While pitching to a 4.25 ERA, the 6-foot-8 Dees finished second in the Eastern League in strikeouts (145) and sixth in innings (137.2). Dees said his goal this season was to consistently pitch five or six solid innings per start and stay healthy. For the most part, it’s been mission accomplished. “Throughout the year I went through some ups and downs as far as health, how I felt, and I think it ultimately was just finding a routine that worked for me,” Dees said. “I feel like I’m at a point now where I’m comfortable with my routine, and it’s allowing me to kind of bounce back a little bit easier from start to start.”