Andruw Jones was a World Series star before he was officially an MLB rookie, and from there the power-hitting center fielder only got better.
His talent offensively and defensively – along with a maturity beyond his years – put him on a path to Cooperstown.
Born April 23, 1977, in Curaçao, Jones signed with the Braves on July 1, 1993, as an international free agent. He rocketed through three minor league levels in 1996 before debuting with the Braves on Aug. 15 of that year, becoming just the third player from the Dutch Caribbean island to appear in the big leagues.
Quickly establishing himself as a premium defender in the outfield, Jones became just the fourth player in history to hit two home runs in his first World Series game when he homered twice against the Yankees in Game 1 of the 1996 Fall Classic. He became the youngest player to homer in World Series history and just the second to homer in each of his first two World Series at-bats.
The next season, still by rule a rookie, Jones began the year in right field before claiming the center field job in mid-June en route to 18 homers, 70 RBI, 20 steals and a fifth-place finish in the National League Rookie of the Year balloting.
In 1998, Jones won the first of 10 straight Gold Glove Awards, just the fifth outfielder to reach double digits. He led all MLB players with a 3.9 defensive WAR that season, the third outfielder in history to reach that figure in one year. A year later, Jones totaled 492 putouts, tied for ninth all-time on the single-season list.
Jones found his power stroke in 1998 as well, hitting 31 home runs. He earned his first All-Star Game selection in 2000 when he hit .303 with 36 homers and 104 RBI, the first of four seasons in a row where he would hit at least 34 homers.
“He’s a five-star player,” Braves teammate Chipper Jones said. “He can hit, hit for average, run, field and throw with the best in the business.”
In 2005, Jones led all big league hitters with 51 homers and paced the NL with 128 RBI en route to a second-place finish in the NL MVP vote. Over a 10-year stretch from 1998-2007, Jones averaged 158 games played, 31 doubles, 35 home runs, 103 RBI and 12 steals per season while earning acclaim as one of the game’s top defensive center fielders.
A five-time All-Star, Jones helped the Braves qualify for the postseason every year from 1996-2005. Over 76 postseason games, Jones hit .273 with 10 home runs and 34 RBI.
Finishing his career with stints with the Dodgers, Rangers, White Sox and Yankees, Jones totaled 383 doubles, 434 home runs, 1,289 RBI and 152 steals. Of all outfielders with at least 400 home runs, only Willie Mays (12) and Ken Griffey Jr. (10) have as many Gold Glove Awards as Jones. No outfielder in history has a better career defensive WAR than Jones’ 24.4.
