ESPN: Diamondbacks fall to No. 24 on updated MLB farm rankings

Possessing the second-rated farm system in all of baseball at the beginning of the season, the Arizona Diamondbacks have dropped to 24th in ESPN’s updated farm rankings.

This comes after numerous prospects have graduated to the major leagues over the past two seasons. Some notable names include Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas, Gabriel Moreno and Brandon Pfaadt, all of whom have helped the club win games in 2023.

ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel noted that the next tier of prospects in the D-backs organization is thin, with shortstop Jordan Lawlar soon to be joining the major league club in time. Through five games in Triple-A Reno, Lawlar is slashing .278/.391/.611 with two home runs and six RBIs.

After Lawlar, McDaniel stated that “the next tier on their list includes the scuffling Druw Jones and a number of new draftees and lower minors types.”

Seen as an essential part of the club’s rebuild, Jones has struggled to stay on the field since getting selected by the D-backs second overall in the 2022 MLB June Amateur Draft.

He tore his posterior labrum in his non-throwing shoulder before he could make his professional debut in 2022 and has suffered two leg injuries this season, causing him to play in just 14 games, slashing .173/.283/.475 with no home runs.

Jones is still only 19 years old, so he has plenty of time to develop over the next few seasons. He is projected to crack the major leagues by 2026.