TAMPA — There is a controlled fire in Brandon Drury’s eyes, a need to excel.

Speak to him for more than two minutes and you realize his commitment to work for success is off the charts.

“That’s how it’s always been, I haven’t had anything given to me in my baseball career,’’ Drury, a 13th-round draft pick of the Braves in 2010, told The Post Tuesday at George M. Steinbrenner Field. “I wasn’t a super-high pick that got pushed up each level because I was a high pick. I had to earn it. I had to hit every level to move up.”

To that end, Drury, 25, ramped it up this offseason, driving from his home in Las Vegas to Southern California at least half a dozen times to work with the Craig Wallenbrock Launch Angle Crew that made his former Arizona teammate and current Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez a home run-hitting monster.

“At first it was tough,” Drury said. “I had to really think about it. Now it’s more natural. I feel really comfortable with it because I’ve been working on it since the end of last year, just nonstop. I’m really excited about it.

“When J.D. got traded over [to Arizona in July] I knew he went to L.A. to hit with those guys and I picked his brain about it, my goal is to turn a lot of those doubles I hit last year into homers,’’ Drury said. “The power is there, I just didn’t know how to do it.’’

Now he knows.

Imagine if 15 of those 37 doubles Drury slashed last season could be turned into home runs with his new swing path. Drury drilled 13 home runs last season.

The third baseman came to the Yankees from Arizona in a three-team trade Feb. 20. He played second for the Diamondbacks last season because Jake Lamb was at third. Third is Drury’s home and he figures to be Todd Frazier’s replacement while young Miguel Andujar gets more seasoning at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

There is only one way to play third base, Drury said, “You have to attack.”

Drury’s intensity comes from one place.

“My true love for baseball,’’ he said. “When you love the game as much as I do, I owe it to the game to go all out every day and to get better each day. I remember [being] barely able to walk and I was always hitting and throwing balls around the house with my family. It was always in my head. I wanted to hit and play baseball with my dad in the front yard.’’

Drury grew up in Grants Pass, Ore. His dad, Shane, was a good athlete and his mom, Anne, is “super coordinated. We played racquetball growing up,’’ Drury said.

And get this: Drury was a travel-ball teammate of Mets All-Star Michael Conforto, who brings his own special brand of intensity to the game.

“You could see it then how talented he was,’’ Drury said. “He’s a great dude, and he still has a lot of room to grow as a player. We both loved the game so we got along great.’’

Asked who is more intense, Drury laughed and said, “He cares, same as me. I don’t know who is more intense, but I respect the way he goes about his business.’’

Conforto starred at Oregon State before becoming a first-round pick of the Mets.

Drury would have gone to Oregon State, but signed with the Braves out of high school. Now his journey takes him to Yankee Stadium.

“Everybody is here with the same goal, to win a ring. That’s what I want too,’’ said Drury, who is good friends with Troy Tulowitzki. “I’m so excited. To play for the New York Yankees is a dream come true.”

This past week it was extra special because quarterback Russell Wilson was lockering next to Drury, who grew up a Seahawks fan.

“A guy like that, sitting next to your locker, I tried to pick something up as far as the mental game,’’ Drury said. “This is a guy who won a Super Bowl. He had a lot to offer. He was awesome.’’

Now the controlled fire is burning even brighter.