By Samir Ajy
This past Tuesday, the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) finally made the right
call, inducting former Andruw Jones into Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame. Jones was one
of two inductees this year, receiving 75 percent of the vote, while fellow center fielder Carlos
Beltrán earned election with 84 percent.
Jones is widely recognized as one of—if not the—greatest defensive center fielders in the
history of the game. He produced 24.4 defensive WAR, the highest total of any outfielder in MLB
history, and saved 235 runs, the fourth-most all time. To accompany his five All-Star selections,
Jones won 10 Gold Gloves and was also a formidable presence at the plate. He became just
one of four players in MLB history to win at least 10 Gold Gloves while hitting 400 or more
career home runs. Notably, Jones hit at least 25 home runs in 10 consecutive seasons
(1998–2007), including his 2005 Silver Slugger campaign, when he launched 51 home runs.
Jones also won—and won often—helping the Atlanta Braves reach the World Series twice
during his tenure (1996 and 1999) while delivering signature postseason moments along the
way. In Game One of the 1996 World Series, the then-19-year-old Jones hit two home runs in a
12–1 Atlanta win over the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Three years later, in Game
Six of the 1999 NLCS, Atlanta entered the bottom of the tenth inning tied 9–9 with the New York
Mets. With one out and the bases loaded, Jones remained patient and drew a walk-off,
bases-loaded walk, sending the Braves back to the World Series. He now becomes the eighth
member of the Braves’ dominant 1990s core to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Despite his decade-long dominance on both sides of the ball, Jones did not reach the required
75-percent threshold until his ninth year of eligibility (out of the maximum 10). This delay was
due in large part to his relatively low career batting average compared to other Hall of Fame
inductees, a point acknowledged by longtime Atlanta sports columnist and 35-year voter
Terence Moore. Jones finished his career with a .254 batting average. For context, catcher Ray
Schalk holds the lowest batting average of any position player currently in the Hall of Fame at
.253. Jones’ lower average can largely be attributed to his abrupt decline after leaving Atlanta in
2008, including a difficult age-31 season in which he hit .158.
Ultimately, three years after having his No. 25 retired by the organization he spent more than a
decade with, BBWAA voters rightfully followed the Braves’ lead—rewarding Jones for the totality
of his impact on the game, even if the honor was long overdue.
