Former Top Prospect Looking To Improve

Going into the 2022 draft, top draft prospects Jackson Holliday and Druw Jones were the clear-cut top two choices. After both the Arizona Diamondbacks and Baltimore Orioles went 52-110 in the previous season, the top two picks were awarded to them, with Baltimore getting the first overall due to a worse intraleague record. While Jones was the better-rated prospect, the Orioles settled on Jackson Holliday to be their infielder of the future, leaving the Diamondbacks to select Druw Jones second overall.

First Season Injuries and Woes

Shortly after signing his $8.19 million deal, Jones was taking batting practice and during his last round, felt discomfort in his non-throwing shoulder and was sent for an MRI. Unfortunately, this revealed an injury that required labral repair surgery to be fixed, ending his 2022 season. This was now the third time for the Diamondbacks that a prospect suffered a season-ending injury, following Corbin Carroll and Jordan Lawlar in the 2021 minor league season. This injury sidelined the former number 1 draft prospect until April 6, 2023, when he made his Low-A debut with the Visalia Rawhide. Unfortunately, after only 10 games, Jones suffered a quad injury that would see him land on the 7-day injured list. The former top draft prospect’s luck would not improve as he rehabbed in the Arizona Complex League, where he suffered a hamstring strain while running the bases, which put him on the 60-day injured list, effectively ending his 2023 season.

Staying Healthy and Getting his Chance

After 3 long injuries that cut Jones’ season short, he was fully healthy for the start of the 2024 season. Thankfully, he managed to stay healthy enough to play in 109 games for the Low-A ballclub. In those 109 games, Jones’ potential was finally on display as he slashed .275/.409/.405 with 85 walks in those games. This included having 67 RBIs and 29 XBH, stealing 21 bases in the process. However, while Jones did experience success, he still struggled, striking out 132 times, which resulted in a 28.4% strikeout rate. Despite this, he was still able to produce at the plate, a good sign for the future.