Just over 13 months faraway from when the D-backs made him the second total decide within the 2022 Draft, Druw Jones has his first skilled house run.
MLB’s No. 35 prospect notched the milestone in fashion. With Single-A Visalia knotted within the prime of the ninth inning, Jones received an elevated fastball and clocked it to the deepest reaches of left-center discipline at San Manuel Stadium, breaking a tie en path to a 5-4 victory over Inland Empire.
“I was selling out for the heater inside and he threw it where I could do some damage to it,” Jones stated of 66ers hurler Sadrac Franco (Angels). “I’m just excited to win.”
Injuries have beset the early a part of Jones’ profession. First, it was a torn posterior labrum in his left shoulder sustained throughout batting observe on the membership’s Spring Training complicated that shut down his first style of professional ball earlier than it ever started. Then after simply 10 video games with the Rawhide to start 2023, a proper quad pressure put him on the shelf. He returned in June for a four-game stint within the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League, however a proper hamstring pressure cropped up, pushing him out till the beginning of August.
But when you ask Jones, the time he spent on the sidelines was really a bonus for a number of causes.
“I got to connect with a lot of people at the facility that I probably wouldn’t have connected with if I was in Visalia for the entire season. I got to work on some swing stuff, I got to do everything,” Jones informed MLB.com. “Just being able to take advantage of the facility and all the luxury it has, it means a lot. There’s definitely a lot of positives because I got to work on my body and work on my health.”
Prior to the 2022 Draft, Jones checked in as MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 Draft prospect attributable to his immense all-around potential. He earned Gatorade Georgia Player of the Year honors after hitting .570 with 13 homers throughout his senior 12 months at Wesleyan School. The son of 10-time Gold Glove winner, Andruw Jones, the 19-year-old has unsurprisingly drawn lofty comparisons even previous to his professional profession getting underway.
Jones backed up that hype instantly, placing his breathtaking defensive acumen on show in his professional debut when he made one of many catches of the season on April 6, operating a seemingly inconceivable distance to trace down a fly ball. The D-backs’ No. 2 prospect is one in every of simply 5 prospects to boast a 70-grade fielding instrument or higher.
The stop-start nature of his professional odyssey has undoubtedly performed a task in Jones’ early scuffles on the dish. While the day off between homers in reside recreation motion could also be jarring, he has nonetheless amassed solely 97 at-bats since becoming a member of the D-backs’ group.
Although all damage circumstances are distinctive, Arizona has seen proof optimistic from its prime abilities that they are often overcome: Corbin Carroll had surgical procedure in May 2021 to restore a posterior capsular avulsion and labrum tear in his proper shoulder; he has gone on to emerge as a favourite for the 2023 National League Rookie of the Year Award. Jordan Lawlar, the membership’s No. 1 prospect, sustained a left posterior labrum tear in August 2021 and has emerged as a dynamic two-way expertise that’s on the doorstep of Chase Field after a current callup to Triple-A Reno.
Beyond Jones’ seismic energy show Thursday, there are further positives to be gleaned. Since returning to Single-A, he has drawn 5 walks in six video games. He added his second Rawhide steal within the third after reaching on an infield single which enabled him to point out off his wheels. While the 19-year-old attracts rave evaluations for his protection, his run instrument additionally grades out at a 70, or well-above-average.
The California League common season wraps up on Sept. 10, giving Jones just some extra weeks of recreation motion earlier than a full offseason. For all the accolades amassed throughout a storied prep profession, his focus stays singular as his first season of professional ball — abbreviated as it might be — concludes:
“Just keep winning games.”
Content Source: www.mlb.com