Somerset Patriots - Spencer Jones Interview
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00:00tough years so far for you. Miss a few games at the back and some growing pains.
00:05What do you need to do to snap out of it? I know it's a couple months into a long career,
00:11but what do you think is going on right now with the struggles?
00:17Yeah, I mean, things haven't gone how I expected them to so far, but I think that's part of it.
00:22It's just one of those things you have to learn how to get out of yourself, right?
00:25And I've definitely made some strides as far as mentally, game planning, that kind of thing.
00:31I was kind of expecting things to happen instead of making them happen, essentially.
00:35This is a good league, a lot of good pitchers. Are you being pitched differently than you ever have?
00:42That it's now, okay, they're doing some things and I need to adjust back?
00:46Is that a little bit of what's going on? Or do you think it's more you that isn't doing something?
00:51Is it the pitching? What is it that's going on there?
00:56Yeah, I mean, I've just been missing some good pitches to hit. I think that's what it is.
00:59I think I'm only a few swings away from getting back to where I need to be.
01:03And once I start hitting those pitches, things will be going well.
01:07What are some of those adjustments you said that have gone well for you lately?
01:11Where do you feel like you're making some progress?
01:12I think a lot of it's just routine in the batter's box, presence, making sure I'm doing the things that I can do to control the temperature of the game
01:20and where I need to be in the box, in the zone with my swing, that kind of thing.
01:25So it's just more precise planning, more intentful approach, that kind of thing.
01:31Are you guys excited to have Cole here tonight to play behind him?
01:34Yeah, it's going to be a lot of fun. It's going to be really fun to watch Cole pitch.
01:37I'm excited to see it from center field.
01:39Just looking at the K-rate this year, I'm sure it's frustrating to have seen that gone up again in May.
01:46How difficult is it kind of on your end to see that kind of climbing,
01:49and what is the process for you to kind of get that back down to where it's back to a more playable moment?
01:56I haven't looked at those numbers yet.
01:59I know I'm not making as much contact as I would have liked,
02:02but I know that it's just a small adjustment away from being where I was and not swinging to miss him.
02:07But does it feel like you're kind of getting back on that track now?
02:11Yeah.
02:12You changed your hands, dropped them this year.
02:15Do you think that it's still adjusting to that?
02:19Have you thought about going back, or do you say that this is still going to be good for the long run?
02:24Yeah, I'm still playing with things and figuring out what's the best position to put myself in.
02:28And I'm sure you'll see some movement or in different spots,
02:32but it's just a hitter feeling things out, getting where he needs to get to.
02:36Have you felt defensively? How have you felt?
02:38I feel great. I feel really good out there. It's been a lot of fun this year.
02:43I don't know if you've probably never struggled this much in your career.
02:46I think last year when you came up, you had some struggles here.
02:48You ended up here. You're very strong.
02:49And mindset-wise, for someone who's been so good your whole life, how do you handle,
02:57I mean, everybody goes through it, even the greatest of the greats,
03:01but is it tough to deal with that mentally?
03:05Is someone helping you with that?
03:06Or do you just say, hey, it's two months into my career here,
03:10and I know my talent got me here, and I hit here last year at the end,
03:14and I hit everywhere I've been. It's going to happen.
03:17Yeah, no, I feel like I've dealt with things that, a little deeper than baseball,
03:22I feel like that would hurt me more than just struggling in a game.
03:26I sat out a couple years in high school and college.
03:29It really, really pissed me off, and that had me figure some things out,
03:33get to where I needed to get to.
03:34And so if I'm just failing in baseball, my mind's going to be all right.
03:38I'm going to get through it. I'm going to persevere. I'll be all right.
03:41It's just, like I said, it's adjustments that need to be made,
03:44and I've dealt with enough stuff in the past to figure out what I need to do
03:48to get this done, so I'm not discouraged in any way.
03:52What is kind of your process for looking at making those adjustments?
03:55Are you looking at video, or are you relying on Kevin or Joe Miguelacho?
03:58What's your process for trying to make those adjustments successful for you?
04:02Yeah, I've got a circle of people that I'm working with.
04:06I guess to further answer your question, it's like a mental performance guy
04:09working with Brian Kane, and he's helped me out a lot.
04:12And the guy I worked with in the offseason's been in contact with him,
04:16and he's helping me out with some stuff.
04:17And like I said, I don't think it's too far away from where I need to get to.
04:22What's something that they say that sticks out a mental performance coach?
04:26What's something that they can say that sticks in your mind that can help?
04:32The importance of being present with what you need to do, right?
04:35It's easy to let a bat slip away, let pitches slip away, that kind of thing.
04:38Or to, you know, not really, I'm trying to find the right way to word it.
04:46To, instead of, you know, committing to what you're trying to do,
04:50you're just kind of recreating what you've done in the past, essentially.
04:53And, you know, that's something that I don't want to, you know,
04:55ever be known as somebody to try to recreate something.
04:57I'd rather, you know, redo it over and over again, you know, through the commitment.
05:00Well, spring training, that had to be a positive for you.
05:05And when you play with a big team, you have some success there,
05:09being around those guys, had a whole experience.
05:11When you go through some struggles like this now,
05:13knowing, hey, I was in Big Lake campus here,
05:16and I more than held my own at a young age.
05:18And that has to be, that had to be a confidence boost
05:20that when you look at these times here to say,
05:23look, that wasn't that long ago that I was doing that, right?
05:25Yeah, I mean, it's something cool to look back on
05:29and, you know, that I had success there.
05:31And the goal is just to, you know, put my mind back in that space
05:35where things were so simple and I was just doing what I needed to.
05:38I mean, obviously, you had a big week at the plate this past week,
05:406 for 12 over the weekend with six RBIs.
05:42Do you feel yourself catching the footing and catching the team right now?
05:45Yeah, I mean, I feel like I was in a better spot over the weekend,
05:49was seeing it well and making a lot better decisions when I needed to.
05:52So, and just something we're going to hold on to and keep going with.
05:56What stood out about this team?
05:58You guys are two months in.
05:59You guys are three games out.
06:01You know, what stuck out that's going to get you guys over the home?
06:03I feel like we haven't even played our best baseball yet.
06:06I think the team's still coming together,
06:08and, you know, when things start rolling as a group,
06:11it's going to be really special going into the rest of the summer.
06:14Seeing guys like Augustine and Ricey mashing the way that they are,
06:17how much do you guys feed off of each other
06:19in terms of, you know, everything that's going right with the bats right now?
06:24Yeah, I mean, those two guys are, you know,
06:26some of the best hitters in our league,
06:27and we're lucky to have them, you know,
06:28both in a key position behind the plate.
06:30And, you know, Rice is one of the guys that I'm close with,
06:33and, you know, we talk hitting all the time.
06:34So, you know, it's cool to get to pick his brain
06:36and learn what he's, you know, going through and what he's figuring out.
06:39Even Dominguez, one, two prospects.
06:42He's here for a while.
06:43I don't know, do you guys, his English is pretty good now.
06:45Do you guys get the bond and hang out?
06:48Do you guys ever talk about, like,
06:49boy, someday in the future we can play together up in the Bronx?
06:53And also, what was your take on his time here?
06:56Yeah, Dominguez is one of my favorites.
06:58Like, he's so great to have around.
06:59Everybody loves him, you know what I mean?
07:01And he's the guy that just brings good energy every day.
07:04I could feel that in camp, and I could, like,
07:06especially feel it here.
07:07And the way that he does his work is very professional.
07:10And, yeah, me and him, you know,
07:11spent some time in the outfield doing drills or whatever together
07:13and had a good time, and, you know, I like being around him.
07:17Are you interested to see what happens with Juan Soto this offseason?
07:21There's already, is he going to get $500 million, $600 million,
07:25and there are judges there.
07:26You have Dominguez, you have you.
07:28Stan Steele under a contract.
07:29Do you, like, say to yourself, how's this all going to play out?
07:33I know you're taking it one day at a time,
07:34but part of you have to think during your downtime, like,
07:37what's going to happen here?
07:38No, I'm not too, I don't think too hard into it.
07:41I mean, as a baseball fan,
07:42it's going to be cool to see what happens with Juan Soto.
07:44And, obviously, it's awesome when the Yankees are playing well for,
07:48you know, more than just Yankees fans, just for baseball.
07:50So I don't think too far ahead as far as that stuff goes.
07:54A lot of it's out of my control.
07:55Pretty impressed of what he's done so far?
07:57Yeah, he's a good baseball player.
07:59Good.
08:00Jason kind of went through the same thing you did last year
08:02where he had the big spring, kind of got the game slow here last year.
08:06Did you lead on him at all to kind of see, like,
08:09how he got through, you know, having such a great start in the spring
08:12and kind of making the jump here and getting off to, like, a slow start?
08:17We never really got into stuff like that.
08:19I mean, it was just nice to have him around and, you know, talking simpler stuff.
08:24We were talking outside the field kind of things.
08:26We're not really too, you know, getting in the weeds about anything
08:30as far as on the field, just hanging out, being friends.
08:33Does it help to know that he kind of went through the same thing a little bit?
08:36I haven't really thought about that one much either.