Top D-backs Prospect Druw Jones Quietly on a Tear in Single-A Visalia

The Diamondbacks No.3 prospect is hitting the cover off the ball recently as he pushes to move up the system.

Visalia Rawhide's Druw Jones rounds third Tuesday, April 11, 2023 against the Rancho Cucamonga / Ron Holman / Visalia Times-Delta / USA

The Arizona Diamondbacks need Druw Jones to pan out. He was their No.2 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. He will forever be compared to Jackson Holliday just because they went 1-2. Plus, it's likely the last time Arizona will pick that high for the foreseeable future. He has a five-tool skill set that could make him a regular All-Star centerfielder, but that's if he can stay healthy and perform in the minor leagues.

The No.3 D-backs prospect and No. 69 overall in baseball is just 20 years old but already has heavy expectations set upon him. That's especially true after a lackluster first professional season and GM Mike Hazen declaring him untouchable. Jones was drafted out of high school with a glove that was ready for MLB play, but a bat that was far behind. His speed and glove could play in MLB today if the bat was ready.

After missing most of the 2023 season in Single-A Visalia with various injuries, the D-backs returned him there to start this season. While that is concerning that Arizona felt unable to push Jones to the next level, it was clear that Jones still needed to conquer the land of Visalia.

Last year, he hit just .252/.366/.351/.718 with only six extra-base hits in 29 games. He struck out far too much with 34 strikeouts in just 131 plate appearances but did walk 20 times.

He was hot to end the season after he returned from injury, finally healthy and able to perform. Over his last 19 games, Jones hit .296/.412/.437 with five extra-base hits, 14 walks, and 20 strikeouts over 85 plate appearances.

There was much talk about Jones' poor mechanics at the plate, his abysmal strikeout rate, and the lack of being healthy. His strong finish last year set him up for a big and healthy rebound effort this year. So far this year, Jones has managed to stay healthy but the season started slow at the plate for him.

In his first eight games, Jones hit just .129 with a .338 OPS. His mechanics still looked off, he had just four hits in 35 plate appearances with 21 strikeouts to just two walks. This culminated in a game in which he went 0-5 with five strikeouts, aka a platinum sombrero. However, that game seemed to be exactly what Jones needed as he's been a completely different hitter since then.

While it's far too early to call him a success or say he's ready to move to High-A, his numbers the last 13 games have certainly been encouraging. Over 53 plate appearances, he has 15 hits, eight runs, five extra-base hits, including a homer, eight RBI, 10 walks, and has struck out just 12 times. He's stolen two bases. That's good for a .357/.491/.548/1.038 batting line.

That's probably not sustainable, but it's an excellent start to the kind of performance that Jones needs to come close to in order to rebuild his prospect value, future outlook, and to rise up the Minor League levels.

Over this 13 game span, he's struck out in just 22.64% of his plate appearances, a much better number compared to his 60% strikeout rate the first eight games. He's walked at a rate of 18.87%, showcasing his patient approach and ability to lay off pitches, even in the wild pitcher environment that is Single-A.

On the season as a whole, Jones' wRC+ is 107 while his wOBA is .370. Both of those numbers are excellent results to see after a tough season last year. They would be far higher without that tough slump to start the season.

His baseline numbers of .260/.368/.384/.751 are improved from last year, but not by a lot, however, it's still a small sample size. Should he continue to hit anywhere near where he is hitting right now, those numbers will continue to climb and climb until the D-backs feel comfortable promoting him out of Single-A Visalia and to High-A Hillsboro.

For now, the Visalia Rawhide can continue to enjoy the excellent hitting and fielding by Druw Jones. As Jones gets more comfortable playing professional baseball, the sky is the limit for his potential, just like his father, Andruw Jones. He's been proven to handle adversity well and the results are starting to pay off for his hard work at the plate and in the field.