Drafted in the 8th round (242nd overall) by the New York Yankees in 2014 (signed for $125,000).
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Spencer is simply a hitting machine who has performed for three years at UC Irvine, batting .306 as a freshman, .373 as a sophomore and .361 as a junior this spring. His sweet lefthanded swing is tailored to use the opposite field and the middle of the diamond, and he rarely pulls balls with authority. But he controls the strike zone, walking about as much as struck out each year of his career, and he can hit fastballs as well as offspeed stuff. Spencer has enough strength in his 6-foot-2, 215-pound frame to rack up doubles to left-center, but he has just one home run in his three-year career, partly a product of playing in cavernous Anteater Ballpark--dubbed the "John Savage Memorial Graveyard" by Irvine coach Mike Gillespie. He has played sparingly in left field but will be tied to first base in pro ball, and Gillespie said he has become a "surprisingly good" defender at first, saving his infielders numerous errors by making good digs on balls in the dirt. As a first baseman with limited power, Spencer doesn't profile as an everyday player, but his feel for hitting gives him a chance to work his way through the minor leagues.
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Draft Prospects
Spencer is simply a hitting machine who has performed for three years at UC Irvine, batting .306 as a freshman, .373 as a sophomore and .361 as a junior this spring. His sweet lefthanded swing is tailored to use the opposite field and the middle of the diamond, and he rarely pulls balls with authority. But he controls the strike zone, walking about as much as struck out each year of his career, and he can hit fastballs as well as offspeed stuff. Spencer has enough strength in his 6-foot-2, 215-pound frame to rack up doubles to left-center, but he has just one home run in his three-year career, partly a product of playing in cavernous Anteater Ballpark--dubbed the "John Savage Memorial Graveyard" by Irvine coach Mike Gillespie. He has played sparingly in left field but will be tied to first base in pro ball, and Gillespie said he has become a "surprisingly good" defender at first, saving his infielders numerous errors by making good digs on balls in the dirt. As a first baseman with limited power, Spencer doesn't profile as an everyday player, but his feel for hitting gives him a chance to work his way through the minor leagues.
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