Braves need to show more appreciation for Andruw Jones' greatness

Jason Foster

Braves need to show more appreciation for Andruw Jones' greatness image

Discussions of the Braves teams of the ‘90s usually — and justifiably — center around the Hall of Fame pitching and the soon-to-be Hall of Famer Chipper Jones.

But a key cog in that well-oiled machine has gradually, and surprisingly, fallen out of the larger conversation, even though without his presence the Big Three of Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and John Smoltz might not’ve been so big, except perhaps for their ERAs.

Andruw Jones (Getty Images)

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For more than 11 seasons, Andruw Jones roamed center field for the Braves like no one else in his era, boasting elite defense that was arguably as critical to the team’s success as Glavine’s guts, Smoltz’s slider and Maddux’s Madduxes. Yet, despite all those run-saving catches, all those assists, all those Gold Gloves and five All-Star appearances, not to mention a game-changing bat, somehow, Jones seems underappreciated. 

Eight seasons after he left the Braves, and three seasons after his (so far) final major league game, there’s been no number retirement ceremony at Turner Field, no induction into the team’s Hall of Fame, and few mentions in the overall conversation of what made those ‘90s teams so great. All these are oversights the team should correct.

The prominence of Jones’ Hall of Fame teammates has no doubt shifted the spotlight away from his contributions, but that doesn't make them any less remarkable. As Jones considers a 2016 comeback, it would be a good time to look back at all he accomplished.

MORE: After all these years, Dale Murphy is still the one

A browsing of BaseballReference.com reveals, for example:

  • Jones won 10 straight Gold Gloves from 1998 to 2007, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Jones’ story was his range. Oh, that range.
  • During those 10 Gold Glove seasons, Jones led all NL outfielders in putouts six times. And the gap between Jones and No. 2 was often substantial, peaking at 93 in 1999. During those six seasons (1998-2002 and 2007) Jones led the league in putouts by an average of 40 more than the second-best number.
  • During the same period, Jones led the league in defensive wins above replacement four times (1998, 2000-2002) and finished second once (1999). He led all NL center fielders in assists three times, including in 1998 when he led all outfielders in assists with 20.
  • And in terms of total runs saved (though still an imperfect and subjective stat), Jones led all NL outfielders seven times, including in six straight seasons (1997-2002) and for a career total of 243. That ranks him No. 1 all time among outfielders and No. 2 all time among all positions behind Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson.

Defense aside, consider how Jones' 434 homer, 1,289 RBIs career matches up with beloved Braves great and two-time NL MVP Dale Murphy:

  • Jones had 10 straight seasons with at least 25 home runs. Murphy had six.
  • Jones had seven seasons of 30 or more homers, including a career-high 51 in 2005. Murphy hit 30 or more six times; his career high was 44 in 1987.
  • Jones had eight consecutive seasons with at least 90 RBIs. Murphy's longest such streak was four.
  • Jones had five seasons with more than 100 RBIs, including a career-high 129 in 2006. Murphy also had five 100-plus RBI seasons, his high being 121 in 1983, when he won his second straight NL MVP.
  • Jones had a career OPS of .839 with the Braves. Murphy's OPS with the Braves was .829.

Different eras, yes, but strikingly similar offensive contributions. 

In fact, Jones' overall “similarity score,” according to BaseballReference.com, matches best with Murphy. He is also like Murphy in that a case for the Hall of Fame can be argued, though enshrinement is unlikely to happen; Jones’ career 62.8 wins above replacement falls short of traditional Cooperstown credentials.

But there’s one way — big in the eyes of many Braves fans — that Jones is unlike Murphy: His No. 25 remains active, despite Jones' role in the team's run of 14 straight division titles (Jones was there for 10 of them).

The team has retired Murphy’s No. 3 and Chipper Jones' 10, along with all Hall of Famers associated with the team. But in the years since Jones left Atlanta, No. 25 has seen a revolving door or names, having graced the backs of replacement-level players including Ryan Church, Barbaro Canizares, Juan Francisco and Joey Terdoslovich. This season, it’s worn by Cameron Maybin.

Yes, Jones isn’t officially retired, but there’s precedent for the Braves to retire his number anyway. The team retired Phil Niekro’s 35 in 1984, a year after he left Atlanta and three years before he called it quits. Also, Murphy’s 3, Glavine’s 47, Maddux’s 31 and Smoltz’s 29 went unused after they left for other teams but weren’t retired officially until years later.

For many Braves fans, keeping No. 25 in circulation is, at best, a gross oversight and, at worst, insulting.

"Andruw Jones was better than any Atlanta position player who didn’t go by the moniker of 'Chipper.' Andruw was better in Atlanta than Dale Murphy, he was worlds better than Brian McCann, Fred McGriff isn’t in the same category at all. Hank Aaron had his best years in Milwaukee and wasn’t as valuable in Atlanta as Andruw was," Braves blog Talking Chop wrote in 2014. "Atlanta fans reacted to Tim Hudson’s broken ankle as if he died, people curse Frank Wren’s name for trading Martin Prado, and Jeff friggin Francouer still receives standing ovations every time he returns to Atlanta. Yet it is a more rare breed of fan who feels that fresh wave of annoyance and bitterness when the Braves annually assign the number 25 to some scrub making a fill in appearance before returning to AAA." 

Jones was at Turner Field over the weekend for the team’s annual alumni gathering and said, despite having not played in the majors since 2012, he’s not done yet. During a visit Sunday on the Fox Sports South broadcast, he said he intends to attempt a comeback in 2016 after preliminary efforts this season gained no traction with major league teams (he spent the past two seasons in Japan).

“I just wanted to just go to Spring Training and give it a try and see what happens,” Jones said on the broadcast. “… I’m going to give it one more try next year, and if I don’t get it, I will retire."

Regardless of any comeback, Jones was, for a long stretch, a superstar on a team with so many other superstars that perhaps they overshadowed his greatness in the eyes of history. 

Without Jones, the 1996-2007-era Braves almost certainly would’ve taken a hit in the loss column, maybe even had the run of division titles interrupted long before 2006.

His teammates know, The Big Three included. 

"Andruw has got to save each starter about 10 runs a year," Maddux once told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

In his Hall of Fame induction speech, Smoltz called Jones “the greatest center fielder that I've ever seen.”

Regardless of whether Jones catches on somewhere in 2016, his legacy is established. 

The Braves should give him a permanent thank you: They should retire No. 25 for good. 

His contributions shouldn't be diminished or forgotten.

Braves fans of the present need to remember. Braves fans of the future need to know.

Jason Foster

Jason Foster Photo

Jason Foster joined The Sporting News in 2015 after stops at various news outlets where he held a variety of reporting and editing roles and covered just about every topic imaginable. He is a member of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and a 1998 graduate of Appalachian State University.