ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

Druw Jones’ baseball family has D-backs’ No. 2 pick ready for path ahead

Jul 18, 2022, 6:26 PM

Arizona Diamondbacks outfield prospect Druw Jones knows what’s coming.

The 2022 MLB Draft’s No. 2 overall pick grew up in a baseball family that has him prepared for what the next couple of years are going to look like before he gets to the majors.

And once he gets there, he’s got a pretty good source to speak with about what MLB is all about.

Jones, of course, will always be linked to his father Andruw. Pops was a five-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove winner and a Silver Slugger in 2005 across a 17-year career that most notably included 12 years with the Atlanta Braves.

The tail-end of Jones’ career with the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees is what Druw remembers the most, given how young he was during the Atlanta years. The time in the Yankees’ clubhouse around legends like Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez showed Druw what it takes to be great on a daily basis.

“Takes a lot of work to be at that level,” Jones said.

While dad was away in MLB, Druw’s grandpa on his mother’s side was the one who actually taught him to hit. In the last two years specifically, Druw’s dad shared philosophies with him about how to approach certain things on this path.

Jones’ response to a question on how he felt about getting drafted spoke to the poise he already has.

“Just excited to be able to go out there and just continue to play baseball at the high level. Nothing really too special,” he said. “Just being able to continue to get to work.”

Druw’s inevitable comparisons to Andruw don’t seem to faze him. He said with a bit of a laugh that, as players, they aren’t too different.

“Everybody says we’re pretty similar, I mean, we’re probably almost exactly the same,” Jones said. “I can’t really say how many other different types of attributes we have. It’s pretty much all the same. Little bit different contact and power but I probably say it’s about the same.”

In a draft class that didn’t feature a clear-cut top option, Jones was rated by many outlets as the No. 1 prospect, including by The Athletic’s Keith Law.

Jones said he didn’t even know where he was going in the draft until it got underway. He wasn’t paying much attention to mock drafts or anything like that, another indicator of the strong mindset he has as he begins life as a professional.

“You never know. … You have a lot of different people saying a lot of different things,” he said. “I was kind of going with whatever team calls.”

Arizona Diamondbacks

Major League Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. speaks during a press conference at MLB He...
Associated Press

Minor leaguers agree to labor deal with MLB, will see raised salaries

As part of the five-year deal, MLB agreed during the contract not to reduce minor league affiliates from the current 120.
1 day ago
Third base coach Matt Williams #9 of the Arizona Diamondbacks hits ground balls during warm ups pri...
Associated Press

D-backs WS champion Matt Williams diagnosed with colon cancer, to have surgery

Former Arizona Diamondbacks infielder and World Series champion Matt Williams has colon cancer and will have surgery on Friday.
1 day ago
Mike Hazen, Torey Lovullo, and Ken Kendrick of the Arizona Diamondbacks look on as Corbin Carroll a...
Arizona Sports

Roundtable: What are our expectations for the 2023 Diamondbacks?

What our Arizona Sports hosts and ArizonaSports.com editors think this D-backs team can achieve this season.
8 hours ago
D-backs P Ryne Nelson (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)...
Tyler Drake

D-backs eager to get season into full swing after strong spring

With Tuesday's final exhibition of the spring now in the rearview, it's time to look ahead to the regular for the D-backs.
2 days ago
This is a 2023 photo of Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Carlos Vargas. This image reflects the ...
Arizona Sports

Carlos Vargas earns final D-backs bullpen spot, Mantiply to IL

Arizona Diamondbacks righty Carlos Vargas has made the Opening Day roster, skipper Torey Lovullo announced Tuesday.
2 days ago
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll. (Zac BonDurant/Getty Images)...
Jake Anderson

Diamondbacks’ young prospects have Torey Lovullo looking at ‘very bright future’

It's hard to get excited about results in the penultimate game of spring training when Opening Day is on the horizon.
3 days ago
Druw Jones’ baseball family has D-backs’ No. 2 pick ready for path ahead