Jones also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, and New York Yankees, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.

Jones was a noted defensive specialist for most of his career and won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award for outfielders every year from 1998 through 2007.

Jones started to draw many comparisons to Willie Mays and was considered one of the top center fielders in baseball.

He proved to be a top defensive player, leading all center fielders in putouts and total zone runs five years in a row from 1998 to 2002.

Jones improved with All-Star seasons in 2002 and 2003, but in 2004, he failed to hit at least 30 home runs for the first time since 1999 and exceeded 100 strikeouts, which became a regular occurrence thereafter.

During his time with Atlanta, Jones became one of the youngest players in MLB history to reach 300 career home runs.

After the 2007 season, Jones signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent to a two-year deal, worth $36.2 million.

Jones concluded his MLB career with brief stints for the Rangers, White Sox, and Yankees, transitioning from a center fielder to designated hitter and a fourth outfielder role.

[citation needed] Jones signed with the Atlanta Braves organization as a free agent in 1993 at the age of 16.

[1] Jones was promoted to Danville of the Appalachian League after only 27 games with the Braves farm team in West Palm Beach, Florida.

He spent his early time in the majors playing in right field because established center fielder Marquis Grissom was already entrenched in the position.

Jones joined Gene Tenace as the only other player to hit home runs in his first two World Series at bats.

[citation needed] Whether he was in the batter's box or gliding under a fly ball to make an easy basket catch, Jones played the game in a very relaxed manner.

By now, Jones had gained nearly 30 pounds since arriving in the Major Leagues, greatly diminishing his speed on the basepaths (he would not steal more than 11 bases after 2001).

[5][6] Prior to the 2005 season, Jones increased his workout regimen and followed advice given by Willie Mays to widen his batting stance.

In the 2005, National League Divisional Series against the Houston Astros, Jones hit .471 with a home run and five RBIs.

[citation needed] Jones, however, had an unexpectedly poor start to the season, striking out 51 times in 41 games and carrying a batting average in the low .200s for the majority of April and May.

After the All-Star break, Jones continued to have productive power numbers; however, his batting average remained poor.

During the 2009 off-season, the Dodgers reached an agreement with Jones to trade or release him before spring training in exchange for a deferral of some of the remaining money due on his contract.

[20] Jones reportedly turned down a similar offer from the New York Yankees to compete for their center field job[21] and expressed an interest in staying with the Rangers even though he would likely not be a starter.

[23] He was originally intended to be a pinch-hitter for the Rangers, but found a starting outfield role due to an injury to Josh Hamilton.

Jones had a chance to hit his fourth home run of the game in his final two at-bats, but he popped out and struck out.

[25] On April 23, 2010, Jones hit two home runs on his 33rd birthday, including a walk-off to help the White Sox win 7–6 over the Seattle Mariners.

He scored 81 runs, had 94 RBI, 116 base hits and 105 walks in 143 games, helping Eagles to clinch their first Pacific League Championship.

Jones is also one of five center fielders to record at least 400 putouts in a season six times; the others are Willie Mays, Richie Ashburn, Kirby Puckett, and Max Carey.

[41][42] In July 2001, Jones testified in the federal trial of Steve Kaplan, an Atlanta club owner charged with facilitating prostitution.

Jones told the Court that he was a regular at the club and that, on one occasion, Kaplan arranged for a limousine to bring him to a hotel where he had sex with a group of people.

Druw was the top prospect in the 2022 Major League Baseball draft and was selected second overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

[44] Early on the morning of Christmas Day, 2012, Jones was arrested for battery after police officers responded to a domestic disturbance call between him and his wife Nicole in suburban Atlanta.

[46] His wife later withdrew the action for divorce and the couple attempted to reconcile, though Jones eventually pleaded guilty, paid a fine and was placed on probation.