A look at Andruw Jones’ Hall of Fame career, as told by the numbers
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Andruw Jones will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame on Sunday, the ultimate honor for his acclaimed career.
The beloved Braves center fielder was known for his defensive acumen and towering power. He also exuded a “coolness” that helped make him one of the most popular players in franchise history.
Here are some stats and facts that define Jones’ career and Hall of Fame worthiness:
1: Jones is the first Curaçao native to make the Hall of Fame. “It’s a great honor,” Jones said. He and Hensley Meulens, the first Curaçao-born player in MLB history, largely paved the path for countrymen like Ozzie Albies, Kenley Jansen and Andrelton Simmons to have successful major league careers of their own.
8: Jones is the eighth Hall of Famer from the 1990s Braves, joining Chipper Jones; John Smoltz; Tom Glavine; Greg Maddux; Bobby Cox; John Schuerholz; and Fred McGriff. Those individuals were paramount in one of the greatest runs in American sports history, which included 14 consecutive division titles (1991-2005), five National League pennants and the 1995 World Series championship.
Some context for that exceptional run, according to research by Sam Wallace, the Braves’ historian: Since the first induction of a 1990s Brave in 2014, no other team has celebrated more than five new Hall of Famers. The Yankees have had five inductees during that time, while the Mariners, White Sox and Twins have had three.
Additionally, per Wallace, over the time the Braves have had eight inductees, the Brewers, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Giants, Marlins, Nationals, Padres, Reds, Angels, A’s, Blue Jays, Rays, Guardians, Orioles and Royals have combined for 10.
10: Jones won 10 consecutive Gold Gloves (1998-2007), which perfectly encapsulates his defensive abilities. He’s tied for the most such awards won as an outfielder behind Hall of Famers Willy Mays (12) and Roberto Clemente (12). His total is equal to that of several other Hall of Famers: Ken Griffey Jr., Al Kaline and Ichiro Suzuki.
The 10 straight honors are the most consecutively for any player during his Braves tenure. Maddux won 13 straight Gold Gloves from 1990 through 2002, but his run began with the Cubs.
12: Jones will be the 12th player to have the Braves insignia represented on his Hall of Fame plaque. He joins Chipper Jones (inducted in 2018); Smoltz (2015); Cox (2014); Glavine (2014); Phil Niekro (1997); Hank Aaron (1982); Eddie Mathews (1978); Warren Spahn (1973); Billy Hamilton (1961); Rabbit Maranville (1954); and Tommy McCarthy (1946).
19: Jones homered twice in his World Series debut as a 19-year-old in 1996. He remains the only teenager to homer in the Fall Classic. He’s also still the youngest player to homer in the postseason, belting his first in Game 7 of the 1996 NL Championship Series against the Cardinals at age 19 and 177 days.
24.4: Jones is the all-time leader in defensive bWAR for outfielders with 24.4.
25: Jones’ iconic No. 25 is retired and prominently displayed at Truist Park as of September 2023. He’s the 11th Braves player to have his number retired.
26: He hit at least 26 homers in 10 seasons, all with the Braves. Jones eclipsed 30 home runs seven times.
60: Jones will be the 60th representative of the Braves to enter the Hall of Fame.
61: Jones’ 61 bWAR is fourth highest in Braves history behind only Aaron (142.5), Mathews (94) and Chipper Jones (85.4).
59: Jones is one of 59 players to hit 400 home runs. His 434 homers rank fifth all-time among center fielders. He hit 368 of them with the Braves.
51: Jones smashed 51 home runs in 2005, which stood as the single-season franchise record until Matt Olson topped the mark in 2023. Jones said that summer he was cheering for Olson to set the new high mark.
Only five other primary center fielders have reached 50 homers in a single season: Hack Wilson (1930); Mays (1955, 1965); Mickey Mantle (1956, 1961); Griffey (1997-98); and Aaron Judge (2024).
That year earned Jones a second-place finish in MVP voting. He placed in the top 10 on five occasions, earning all his All-Star nods during those campaigns (2000, 2002-03, 2005-06).
78.4%: After nine years on the ballot, Jones received the required minimum of 75% of the vote in his second-to-last year of eligibility. He garnered 78.4% of votes (319 of 425 ballots cast).
129: Jones’ highest single-season RBI total was 129 in 2006. He had a league-leading 128 in the season prior. Jones exceeded 100 RBIs in five seasons and collected at least 90 in another four.
.303: Jones hit .254 in his career, including .263 for the Braves. But he has one .300 season to his name, hitting .303 in 2000. His .907 OPS during that campaign was the second highest of his career behind the 2005 production (.922).
345: During his peak (1998-2007), Jones hit 345 homers, the eighth-highest total in MLB over that time. The players who homered more: Alex Rodriguez (454); Sammy Sosa (402); Barry Bonds (388); Manny Ramirez (381); Jim Thome (374); Carlos Delgado (364); and Vladimir Guerrero (353).
Jones joins Thome and Guerrero as Hall of Famers in that group. Much of that list hasn’t earned induction largely because of perceived connections to performance-enhancing drugs during that era.
.839: Jones posted an .839 OPS over his 12 seasons with the Braves. His late-career journeyman era dropped his career mark to .823, but his fruitful run with the Braves made him a worthy Hall of Famer before his decline.
1,577: Jones played in 1,577 of 1,620 possible games for the Braves from 1998 through 2007 when he was an established regular. Those were his age 21 through 30 seasons, in which he produced 57.6 bWAR and hit 345 of his home runs.
He played 162 games once in 1999. He appeared in 161 games in each of the following two seasons, including leading the league in plate appearances (729) in 2000.
2,196: Jones played 2,196 games across his 17-year career. He accrued 1,933 hits, 1,289 RBIs and 152 stolen bases over that time.