Hall of Fame weekend finally arrives for Braves legend Andruw Jones

Braves manager Walt Weiss arrived in Atlanta as a veteran player in 1998. He remembers enjoying a dinner with new teammate Greg Maddux during spring training, and the Hall of Fame pitcher shared an eye-opening prediction about youngster Andruw Jones.

“Maddux told me, ‘This guy Andruw Jones that we have is going to be the best center fielder you’ve ever seen,’” Weiss told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Jones, who debuted as a 19-year-old in 1996, had largely played right field because of the presence of Marquis Grissom (1996) and Kenny Lofton (1997) over his first two seasons. He played 69 games in center field during that time, taking on the role midway through the 1997 campaign.

“I didn’t know anything about him,” Weiss said. “I said (to Maddux), ‘What do you mean, he’s a corner guy?’ I didn’t know anything about him. Maddux said he’s going to play center this year and the rest of his career.”

“I thought it was a weird statement at the time. But he was exactly right. I’d say he’s probably the best defensive player at any position that I’ve ever seen in my career, with my eyes.”

And now, Jones will enter the Hall of Fame this weekend, indeed recognized as one of the greatest center fielders anybody has seen.

Jones was synonymous with the 1990s and early 2000s Braves, an all-time brilliant defender who collected a decade of consecutive Gold Glove honors and smashed 434 home runs. After nine years on the writers’ ballot, he’s at last joining the baseball pantheon.

It just took voters a while to acknowledge what those down South knew: Jones deserves to sit alongside the other indelible figures in this sport’s history.

One cannot tell the story of the Atlanta Braves without Jones; he’s one of the most influential individuals in the history of a franchise that’s employed 58 Hall of Famers. By statistical measurement, Jones’ 61 bWAR is fourth highest in Braves history behind only Hank Aaron (142.5), Eddie Mathews (94) and Chipper Jones (85.3).

The Braves have retired 11 numbers in their history. Jones’ No. 25 was the latest in September 2023, and during a ceremony at Truist Park, numerous key organization figures endorsed his Hall of Fame candidacy.

Less than three years later, Jones will become the 12th player to don the Braves insignia on his Hall of Fame plaque. It’s quite the VIP list for the franchise: Chipper Jones (inducted in 2018); Bobby Cox (2014); Tom Glavine (2014); John Smoltz (2015); Phil Niekro (1997); Aaron (1982); Mathews (1978); Warren Spahn (1973); Billy Hamilton (1961); Rabbit Maranville (1954); and Tommy McCarthy (1946).

Jones received 78.4% of the vote on the writers’ ballots (319 of 425 ballots cast) to earn induction on his second-to-last year of eligibility. A player must appear on at least 75% of ballots to earn induction via the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s process. The increased prominence of defensive metrics is said to have helped Jones.

The Braves organization and their fans will emphatically state that Jones waited far longer than necessary, but nearly a decade of anticipation is now rewarded. Jones will have a plaque displayed in Cooperstown, New York, for the rest of time.

“Long time coming,” Weiss, who ultimately played three seasons with Jones (1998-2000), said. “Everyone who saw him play, even guys who’ve been around the game for a long time — Bobby Cox — to a man they say he’s the best center fielder I’ve ever seen. And on top of that, he hit well over 400 homers.

“So you have a guy who’s the best to ever do it, according to a lot of credible people, and hit all those home runs; that should be enough (to have earned induction even earlier). I’m glad he’s going in. Every chance I had, I was campaigning for him. I saw unbelievable things in center field virtually every night. I’m not exaggerating.”

Smoltz has endorsed Jones as the greatest center fielder he’s seen on numerous occasions. Chipper Jones has said his longtime teammate is “one of the greatest players who’s played in this organization.” Andruw previously shared that Chipper told him the Hall of Fame wouldn’t be complete without his inclusion.

Jones enters the Hall alongside fellow center fielder Carlos Beltrán (1998-2017), who received 84.2% of votes, and infielder Jeff Kent (1992-2008), who was elected to the Hall in December through the Contemporary Era Baseball Committee.

Andruw Jones walks on the field as the Braves retire his jersey number, 25, on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, in Atlanta. Jones collected a decade of consecutive Gold Glove honors and smashed 434 home runs. (Brynn Anderson/AP)

Even the untrained eyes who watched Jones on a regular basis likely didn’t need much convincing of his election. His 17-year career was defined by his 12 seasons in Atlanta, where he dazzled in the outfield and deposited souvenir after souvenir for a fan base that idolized him.

Jones played 31 regular-season games to begin his rookie campaign, which ended with him launching two homers in his World Series debut at age 19. It began a storied career in which he became No. 1 all-time in defensive WAR by an outfielder. He’s also one of 59 players to have hit 400 home runs.

Jones hit 368 homers for the Braves, slashing .263/.342/.497 overall. He had five All-Star nods. He hit 51 homers in 2005, which stood as the single-season franchise record until 2023. He finished his career with 1,289 RBIs.

Despite the prolific offense, Jones was best known for an unparalleled defensive acumen. Jones’ 230 defensive runs saved lead all center fielders since 1953, well ahead of Willy Mays in second place (176), according to AJC research via Baseball Reference.

And he achieved it all with such ease, a coolness that made Jones every youngster’s favorite player. His effortless, nonchalant approach made his extraordinary efforts seem standard. It endeared him to fans, and it’s why his jersey is still commonly seen in the stands today.

“When I first got this job, having watched Andruw when I was a kid growing up, I always wanted him to go in (the Hall of Fame),” BravesVision play-by-play announcer Brandon Gaudin told the AJC. “I know the window was closing, and I told Jeff Francoeur (a former Jones teammate) that I hope this happens during the next couple of years. Thankfully it did.

“In this role, seeing the kind of people in his circle and how passionate they were about Andruw getting in, and that moment when it happened and seeing their celebration, it was almost equally cool to the fact that he finally got in. For my money, growing up watching him play, he was the best defensive center fielder in the game. I never, still to this day, have seen somebody play so shallow and be able to get to any ball toward the wall.”

The Braves now have eight Hall of Famers from their glory years — which included 14 consecutive division titles from 1991 through 2005, five National League pennants and the 1995 World Series title.

Jones joins former teammates Chipper Jones; starting pitchers Smoltz, Glavine and Maddux (2014); first baseman Fred McGriff (2023); his late manager Cox; and former general manager John Schuerholz (2017).