If one were compile a list of the greatest defensive players in baseball history at each position, the consensus choice in center field would be Willie Mays. But right behind him, Andruw Jones has a very strong case.
His highlight-reel catches, his strong throwing arm and his ability to cover so much ground in the outfield made him one of the cornerstones of a Atlanta Braves dynasty that won division titles in each of his first 10 major league seasons.
Jones, a two-time USA TODAY Minor League Player of the Year, was a phenomenal defender from the moment he reached the majors as a 19-year-old in 1996. He made his mark on a national stage later that season when he hit two home runs against the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series.
The Curacao native became a tremendous power hitter in the middle of the Atlanta lineup, hitting 25 or more home runs for 10 consecutive seasons – and driving in at least 90 runs nine times during that span.
By the time he left Atlanta after his age-30 season in 2007, Jones was clearly on a Hall of Fame track with 10 Gold Gloves, five All-Star appearances and a home run title on his resume. But his skills declined precipitously as he bounced around four teams over the next five years and concluded his playing career in 2012 as a part-time corner outfielder and DH.
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The case for Andruw Jones
Jones was an elite player, especially on defense, for his entire 12 seasons in Atlanta. During that time, he hit 330 home runs and put up a .263/.342/.497 slash line.
He had seven seasons of 30 or more homers, including a major league-leading 51 in 2005 – a season in which he won a Silver Slugger award and finished as the runner-up to Albert Pujols in the NL MVP balloting.
But defense is really where Jones excelled. He won 10 consecutive Gold Gloves in center field from 1998-2007 (only Mays won more), and ranks first all-time among outfielders (second overall to Brooks Robinson) in Total Zone Runs above average.
Over his career, Jones produced 62.7 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball-Reference.com.
The case against Jones
Though he slugged a total of 434 homers in 17 big-league seasons, Jones didn’t quite reach the 2,000-hit mark (1,933) and finished with a career average of .254.
The biggest drawback to his candidacy is that his career declined rapidly after age 30. He was a colossal flop as a free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008, missing time with an injury for the first time in his career.
Knee problems continued to plague him going forward, severely limiting his once-great defensive skills and making him a liability at the plate. After a brilliant start to his career, Jones added just 1.7 WAR to his total from age 31 to 35.
Voting trends
According to Ryan Thibodaux’s Hall of Fame Tracker, Jones has been named on 74.3% of public votes collected as of Jan. 14.
Now in his eighth year on the ballot, Jones has seen his voting percentages rise steadily since he first became eligible. That seems to bode well for his eventual election as many borderline candidates get a significant push as they approach their final year on the ballot.
2018: 7.3%
2019: 7.5%
2020: 19.4%
2021: 33.9%
2022: 41.4%
2023: 58.1%
2024: 61.6%
Bottom line
Momentum seems to be on Jones’ side as the passage of time has only seemed to bolster his stellar defensive reputation.
While Jones may not make it all the way to the 75% threshold in Year 8, he stands a pretty good chance of being the top returning candidate on next year’s ballot. (Unless Carlos Beltran passes him, but fails to get elected.)
In addition, next year’s class of first-time eligible players doesn’t include any slam-dunk candidates, so Jones could be the player most deserving of enshrinement on the 2026 ballot.
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