No. 2 pick Druw Jones, Arizona Diamondbacks officially agree to contract
Jul 23, 2022, 12:31 PM | Updated: 3:08 pm
(Twitter photo: @Dbacks)
(Twitter photo: @Dbacks)
The Arizona Diamondbacks wasted no time negotiating a contract with their first selection in the 2022 MLB Draft.
The D-backs and No. 2 overall pick Druw Jones officially agreed to a deal on Saturday, the team announced.
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) July 23, 2022
The deal was reportedly worth $8,185,100, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman on Tuesday.
Jones will take batting practice as well as throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Saturday before the team’s game against the Washington Nationals.
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Heyman adds that the slot value breaks the previous record of $7.7 million for a high school player after Bobby Witt Jr. was drafted No. 2 overall by the Kansas City Royals in the 2019 MLB Draft.
Jones, an outfielder, has a phenomenal baseball bloodline and genealogy as the son of former 10-time gold glover Andruw Jones.
The 6-foot-4, 180-pound 18-year-old was the 2022 Georgia High School State Player of the Year after leading his team to a perfect 35-0 record.
Just Druw up the paperwork. 📝
Welcome to the family, @jones_druw! pic.twitter.com/JLxdlWPBOC
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) July 23, 2022
He also hit for an astounding .570 batting average to go along with 13 home runs in his final high school season.
And like most D-backs prospects, Jones has the defensive prowess that both general manager Mike Hazen and manager Torey Lovullo preach when it comes to the franchise’s philosophy on roster construction.
The future of the Diamondbacks’ outfield is bright with center fielder Alek Thomas (22 years old) currently in his rookie year while outfielder Corbin Carroll (21 years old) waits to make his big-league debut after recently being called up to Triple-A Reno.
