Diamondbacks outfielder prospect Druw Jones continues to work his way out of an early season funk. After starting the year hitting .171 with just one extra-base hit and 21 strikeouts in his first eight games, he's picked it up in his last eight. After going 1-for-3 with a walk in Visalia's win, he's recorded a hit in seven of his last eight games. He's raised his average up to .212 with a .688 OPS on the season.
It will be imperative for Jones to continue to improve at the plate as the season wears on. It's not usually a good sign for a high school player drafted in the Top 30 to have to repeat Low-A in their second year, as Baseball America points out. Looking at high school players drafted in the Top 30 from 2000-2019, 48 out of 140 players repeated Low-A in their second full season. The average Wins Above Replacement (WAR) was 1.8 and the median was -0.1. Of this group, 20 players failed to reach the major leagues and 14 more had a negative WAR.
In Jones' case, injuries prevented him from getting the necessary reps to improve, as he only played 29 games with Visalia last year. The bat, especially the hit tool, needs the most refinement in his game, as he's arguably the best defensive outfielder in the organization in terms of range and arm. Here's an example of what he brings to the table.
Adrian Del Castillo was 1-for-5 with three strikeouts.
Deyvison De Los Santos and Ivan Melendez both went 1-for-4 at the plate with a single. Kristian Robinson had two hits, a walk, two RBI, and a run scored.
Andrew Pintar drove in Hillsboro's only run of the game with a solo home run in the eighth inning. Jack Hurley went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
Cristofer Torin had a double and a triple, driving in a run, and scoring twice. Ruben Santana went hitless in three at-bats but drew a walk. Jansel Luis was 0-for-5 but drove in a run on a fielder's choice out at second.
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