There wasn’t a better defensive center fielder in baseball history. The Curacao native racked up 10 consecutive Gold Gloves between 1998 and 2006. He also hit 434 home runs, with the 2005 season being one of his strongest power seasons.
He was selected to five All-Star teams, but his fame was largely in the outfield. At the plate, he was more of an occasional power hitter with a solid batting average and a lot of doubles.
Jones began his major league career with the Atlanta Braves in 1996 at 19 years old. He quickly became a fan favorite. The lean youngster patrolled center field with aplomb, winning his first of 10 straight Gold Gloves that season. He was a threat with the bat as well, stealing 27 bases in his rookie campaign.
Throughout his 11-year run, there wasn’t a better defensive center fielder than Andruw Jones. Whether it was jumping to catch a fly ball or gliding under a batted ball for an easy basket catch, the outfielder was one of the best in the history of the game.
Jones debuted on the Hall of Fame ballot the same year as fellow Braves great Chipper Jones, and his candidacy has picked up steam since then. He could get inducted as soon as 2022, depending on how much the backlog from the steroid-era gets cleared. He was honored to walk into Cooperstown in 2018 for induction weekend and see some of the game’s all-time greatest players sitting around talking.
