MLB Draft 2022: Jackson Holliday, Druw Jones make history as the top two picks
Jackson Holliday and Druw Jones made history on Sunday night when the two baseball players were selected Nos. 1 and 2 respectively in the MLB Draft.
The Baltimore Orioles took high school shortstop Holliday with the No. 1 overall pick. He is the son of Matt Holliday, a seven-time All-Star who won the 2011 World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Arizona Diamondbacks selected high school outfielder Jones with the No. 2 overall. He is the son of Andruw Jones, a 10-time Gold Glove winner and five-time All-Star who hit 51 home runs in 2005.
It marks the first time in MLB history sons of former Major Leaguers were selected with the first two overall picks of the draft. Holliday also joined Ken Griffey Jr. as the only sons of former Major Leaguers selected No. 1 overall.
Holliday was a standout left-handed hitter from Stillwater High School in Oklahoma. He hit .685 with 89 hits in 41 games and broke a national record for hits in a high school season originally set by J.T. Realmuto. He said he remembered being in the clubhouse with his dad.
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“I remember being in the clubhouse ever since he got to St Louis,” he said. “So I feel like it’s definitely an advantage, and I’ve gotten to see what it takes to get to the major leagues and how players, even when they’re at the top of their game, how hard they still work to maintain it.”
Jones played at Wesleyan High School in Peachtree Corners, Georgia. He hit .570 with 13 home runs, 39 RBIs and had 32 stolen bases this year. He was also 10-1 as a pitcher, though he is destined to be an outfielder like his father.
“We’re probably almost exactly the same,” he said. “I try and make it my own game and be able to pursue and keep my career going and not really worry about what he did back in past but to be able have my own name and play my own way.”
Both players are Scott Boras clients and are reportedly set to get an $8 million signing bonus.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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