Druw Jones, the No. 2 overall pick of the recent 2022 MLB draft, suffered a season-ending shoulder injury while taking his first batting practice as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks organization and will require surgery, farm director Josh Barfield told reporters, including the Arizona Republic. Specifically, Jones will have an arthroscopic posterior labral repair on Wednesday.
The surgery comes with an 8-9 month recovery and could sidelined Jones into early next season. Jordan Lawlar, Arizona’s first-round pick in last year’s draft, had a similar procedure last August and was able to play on minor-league Opening Day this year. Lawlar has played very well post-surgery and is widely regarded as one of the 25-30 best prospects in baseball.
Jones, the son of former All-Star outfielder Andruw Jones, was drafted out of Wesleyan High School in Georgia and inked a reported signing bonus of $8,189,400. Coming into the draft, our R.J. Anderson ranked Jones as the top talent available. Here’s part of his write-up on Jones:
“Jones, whose father Andruw is a borderline Hall of Famer, was in the running for the top spot entering the spring. He’s since emerged as the industry’s preferred choice. It’s not hard to understand why. He’s a good to great defender at a premium position who could finish his development arc with five plus or better tools, including both components of his bat. Indeed, he has the kind of projectable frame and handspeed that should allow him to add muscle and power as he matures. Jones might end up losing a little speed as a result, but he’s believed to have the instincts and innate feel for the position that should enable his game to remain lush with secondary value. There’s legitimate All-Star potential here, and he’s worthy of the No. 1 pick, even if he ends up going No. 2 or No. 3.”
While this is certainly an early disappointment for Jones and the Diamondbacks, Barfield indicated the injury will not significantly impact his career.
