Diamondbacks' Former No. 2 Pick Making Adjustments to Succeed in 2025

In 2022 the Arizona Diamondbacks selected Druw Jones, son of defensive wizard Andruw Jones, second overall in the MLB draft. It has been a rocky road for the talented young outfielder since his selection. Battles with health have kept him off the field, but 2025 is his opportunity to live up to his draft status.

It is likely unfair to look down upon the selection from nearly three years ago. Over that span Jones has only appeared in 150 games at a professional level, hitting to a .776 OPS during that time.

Most of this came during 2024, to this point his best and healthiest season. After suiting up for 109 games last year and fielding an .813 OPS paired with his elite defense, the right-handed outfielder is eyeing 2025 to make some large developmental strides.

Jack Sommers of Arizona Diamondbacks ON SI got a chance to speak to Jones. Speaking on adjustments he is making this season the 21-year-old top prospect said, "More direction, just trying to work through center field, right center field."

"[The swing] feels good, just trying to make the mechanical adjustments and just making sure I'm on time and driving the ball through the middle of the field," Jones said.

While health has played a role in his underperformance, mechanical issues and a difficulty in getting things going at the plate have plagued the righty through the past two seasons. 2024 was a step in the right direction, as he clubbed six home runs alongside his 21 stolen bases.

However, there is still plenty more to unlock in Jones' future. Part of that is what he is able to show around this time of year during Spring Training.

With such little experience under his belt, Jones is still in minor league camp, which has little crossover with the major league group. Still, he has appeared in four spring training games, including an exciting pairing alongside other top prospect Jordan Lawlar.

Jones' performance across these appearances has been solid, posting a .286 batting average and an .804 OPS. The early spring mornings, though, have taken some getting used to. "It's a lot, just those early mornings, but they get you consistent. Now it feels like a normal day."

"It was a lot of fun," Jones said about playing alongside Lawlar, MLB's No. 11 ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline. "Anytime we're on the field together it's special, so being able to have that opportunity and be on base for him to drive me in was a lot of fun."

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo praised the young outfielder after getting some more up close experience around Jones. "Defensively, there's an ease to everything that he's doing. He's very comfortable. He can run everything down," he told Sommers.

Of course defense has always been Jones' calling card. His father was often coined as one of the sport's greatest defensive players, and it appears that the awareness and ability to track balls has been passed down.

"I've seen him communicating with his off outfielders, taking charge. He's always engaged inside the dugout," Lovullo continued. "In fact, I have a note that I'm going to tell the big league staff tomorrow. Dave McKay, yesterday, basically just went like this," in reference to a very subtle wag of the finger towards right-field, which was picked up, and responded to immediately.

"I was like, wow, that was really impressive for a young player to understand and coordinate and engage with the dugout."

On the other side of the ball, the D-backs manager stated, "Offensively, he seems to understand the zone. There's a lot of zone control. And he looks like he's developing and staying in line with his swing and really staying behind the ball. Those are keys for him."

A big, and most importantly, healthy year for Jones could completely change the general perception of his career to this point. "Everything feels good. I'm just excited to get out there and have another full season," he said.

And just like him, every member of the D-backs' organization will be excitedly following along to see what the young outfielder can do in 2025.

Diamondbacks' Former No. 2 Pick Making Adjustments to Succeed in 2025

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