When the Braves hired John Schuerholz as general manager, he quickly realized they needed better defense if they hoped to climb out of the division cellar. Andruw Jones got called up to the majors five years later and would become probably the best defender the Braves ever had.
The Braves inducted Schuerholz and Jones into the franchise’s Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta on Friday. They joined 29 other members of the hall, which inducted its first class in 1999.
Jones played 12 years for the Braves, from 1996-2007. He is the youngest player to hit a home run in the postseason, doing so at 19 years old. Jones homered during first at-bat in the World Series against the Yankees and then did it again during his next.
Jones would finish his 17-year career with 434 home runs, making him one of just 55 players to hit more than 400, and he led the National League with 51 homers in 2005. But it was his defense that placed Jones above his peers.
Jones earned 10 consecutive Gold Glove awards from 1998-2007. Videos featuring his many signature catches played before he took the stage.
“I don’t care for what any of the old-timers say, he was the best defender of maybe any position I’ve ever seen,” Braves legend Chipper Jones said during the ceremony.
The Braves promoted Andruw Jones to the majors in August 1996. He said he wasn’t sure if he was ready because he was so young and had barely played above Single-A in the minors.
“But I was ready,” Jones said.
Jones said making the big leagues fulfilled the dream he had while growing up in Curacao. He said that when he was 6 years old he told his mother that he wanted to play baseball on television one day.
“I told my mom I was finally on TV,” Jones said. “She said, ‘Oh, great. I am going to bingo.’ She loved bingo.”
That anecdote got laughs from a big crowd that included Jones’ mother. Jones flashed the smile that his former teammates, including Tom Glavine, said was omnipresent and often misconstrued.
“I had that smile, people thought I wasn’t trying hard enough, but I really did,” Jones said. “That’s all I wanted to do was play this game.”
Jones’ happy-go-lucky demeanor drew criticism from some. Former manager Bobby Cox famously pulled Jones from a game mid-inning during the 1998 season because he felt Jones didn’t try hard enough for a fly ball.
During his induction speech, Jones said Cox is “like a second dad” to him.
“A lot of years we battled through my whole career, but without him I wouldn’t be here,” Jones said.
Schuerholz is the current Braves vice chairman and former general manager and president. During his time as GM the Braves won one World Series, five NL pennants and 14 consecutive division titles while posting the best record in baseball (1,594-1,092).
“This moment is the most exciting and proud moment that I’ve had in my personal life as an executive,” Schuerholz said during his induction speech. “I’ve shared in a lot of team success … but, individually, this is the top of the mountain.”
In the six years before the Braves hired Schuerholz, they’d finished last in the division four times and next-to-last twice. But Schuerholz said he believed the Braves had talented pitchers who just needed more defensive support.
Schuerholz added two strong defenders for the 1991 season, third baseman Terry Pendleton and center fielder Otis Nixon. They helped the Braves improve from last place to first in the NL West.
“Pitchers who made all these great pitches saw balls going through legs and into the stands,” Schuerholz said. “Now we were getting outs. Now we were playing better.”
The Braves would go on to enjoy much more success with Schuerholz as GM. The crowning achievement was the 1995 World Series victory against the Indians. With the Braves finishing a last-place season this year, that championship will remain the only one in the team’s 51-year Atlanta history.
