He should get in, and I think he will. The greatest defensive centerfielder of all time also hit 434 career homers. No PED suspicion. Well-liked during his playing days.
@MRwiththa how are you measuring that though? That was the point of the video. 10 gold gloves? Not perfect. Dwar? Total zone? Eye test? You can certainly make a good argument for Mays or Jones.
Judging the best fielder by antiquated statistics like put outs and assists does not actually take into account proper defensive metrics at all. That's like saying Fielding percentage is King
@@robertmorlet793 Griffey completely fell apart defensively in the 2000’s due to his injuries. If you’re only counting the first half of his career then I could definitely see a case, but you can’t just ignore his time in Cincinnati And even if you’re comparing peaks defensively, Jones was still better. From 1997-2007 he collected >220 TZ and >26 dWAR while Griffey picked up 11 dWAR and 68 TZ
Put Jones's 10-year period in Atlanta up against griffey's prime years in Seattle and defensively Jones wins with every single advanced metric. That's not a knock on Griffey Jr by the way. Jones was that good with a glove. Cebolla nailed it. Claiming a ped suspicion that there never was anything even close to a tangible suspicion of is dumb because just saying he hit a lot of home runs one year and then suddenly stopped hitting them can be applied to a ton of players who also never had a suspicion. Willie Mays was of course a better overall player and no one is arguing that but defensive metrics is what we're talking here and yes Jones has better numbers than Willie when you look at proper metrics.
He should get in. I watched most of his games every year growing up and I remember thinking "he's gonna make 15-20 unbelievable catches every year!" Bobby cox even said that even if he couldn't hit he'd played him every day cos he's gonna save at least 1 run every game
I watched him so much in the 90’s, he not only had the quickness and speed in the outfield but he was one of the top guys to read balls off the bat. This led him to make many tough plays look easy. The seemingly impossible plays he would make possible and save the Braves from huge innings if not saving the game outright. Definitely deserves a spot I think.
Joe D was the master at reading the ball off the bat. When Joe was in CF, he made everything look easy. Very similar to Andruw Jones. (No, I am not placing Jones in Joe D territory, but if you watch how he played, it was just smooth)
The lack of flashiness made players like Edmonds look at times as good as Andruw but Andruw was routinely getting to balls on his feet that Edmonds had to dive for. Look at the defensive stats. Compare them as an example of how people's eyes were lying to them back then. He was essentially twice as valuable defensively as any other player at any position for a decade. Not to mention he was no doubt a better hitter than 90% of big leaguers. He is definitely getting in
Andruw Jones should absolutely get in. I think the fact that he accomplished so much by age 30 should be enough to get him in regardless of what he did afterwards. Not to mention, Jones is one of only 4 players to hit 50 home runs in a season AND win a gold glove.
Andruw Jones really catapulted baseball to new heights here on the island of Curaçao. It's because of him we have players like Ozzie Albies. Andruw Jones really was the hero of all kids in Curaçao back in time 🇨🇼🇨🇼🇨🇼🇨🇼🇨🇼🇨🇼
Never forgot him making a fancy over-the-shoulder basket catch in Boston to end the game and get reliever John Smoltz out of a major gases loaded jam. He caught it in the deepest corner of the Fenway Park outfield amidst screaming fans who thought they were seeing either a grand slam or a bases-loaded triple. It was breath-taking in it's quick fluidity, and Jones just smiled at the fans and quickly flipped the ball up to them. Pure hotdoging, but pure skill and talent. As a Braves fan I was terrified we'd blown it but that catch by Andruw saved the day and the game.
This may be a dumb take but, I think if you’re the greatest ever at something you deserve a hall of fame spot. Greatest defender at your position ever? Yes. Greatest bunter ever? Sure. Is this a dumb take? Probably. But I’ll stand by it
@@lunarumbreon7699 I know, I was being silly with my post. That was my whole point. Even if someone is the "worst" at doing something as measured by most "failures", you're still likely to be in the hall of fame. And to your point, while Reggie Jackson has the most strikeouts, there are a million guys who hit less than .200 with fewer strikeouts will never sniff the hall of fame. So fewer strikeouts doesn't automatically make those players "better" than RJ.
@@sil-80nick yeah that was my point. If you’re the number 1 in those sorts of stats you have to be good in order to stay around long enough to pull that off
When you spend that chunk of time as one of the most feared hitters in the league, and simultaneously one of the best defensive outfielders ever, you should be in Cooperstown. Let him in.
@@ethanniedorowski116 he hit 50 homers with almost 130 RBIs while hitting close to .300 for most of the season in the earlys 00s. He was ABSOLUTELY one of the most feared hitters in the league so you just don't know what you're speaking on lol. He would've won MVP that year if it wasn't for a mini slump to close out the season.
@@ethanniedorowski116 well, I literally just gave you FACTS that completely shred your argument. So, do I trust the eyeballs of someone who claimed to have "watched him play" or do I trust cold, hard facts and numbers? I mean, you're just shamefully and pitifully wrong.
@@doc8013 is he in the hof? Oh He isn't what % did he get for votes ? He was a . 254 hitter total guess hitter an look at those braves teams in 2004 an 2005 He wasn't even best guy on his team.. Good player hall of very good... but he is Jim Edmonds just with a better glove an not as good of a bat. . You talk about those w years like thats how he hit his whole career not the case... you ovb just love the play ... chipper got in for a reason Maddox got in no issues huh wonder why ..... An I wonder why nobody wanted to vote Jones in?? Maybe he was a steroids player who hit hrs in small park an played that small park well on d dude was a player an I'd love to have him be my center fielder but he wasn't Griffey or a hof he hit 280 twice once when he hot 301 somehow an then when he went to LA when he hit scale
I used to love Andruw Jones when he was in Atlanta. Always brought some flash to the game, whether it was diving catches, robbing homers, or even just the way he used to throw the ball back to the infield.
No he didn’t I have to disagree. As the video points out-Jones collapses as a player-unprecedented. It didn’t seem right to honor a a player who gave up. Also his domestic violence arrest should already make him a “no-vote.”
@@BaseballisEverything if Bonds isnt in the HOF, Andruw certainly doesnt belong. Bonds had way better numbers than Andruw BEFORE he started using roids.
@@bradhorowitz2765 There are countless abusers, racists, and dopers in the HOF. I mean what the hell are guys like Cap Anson and Tom Yawkey doing in the Hall if that’s the case? It’s never been about character or integrity. So it’s either none of those guys should be in or all of them should be.
Same! Outside of probably Maddux, Andruw was probably the best Braves player in the 90s. Too bad he never won a World Series with all the talent around him.
Andruw Jones ate his way out of the HoF. He would easily be an 80+ career WAR player if he'd stayed disciplined. He's still the greatest defensive CF of all time.
I think about it this way, his prime ended at a much earlier time than most hof contenders, but during that time, he missed very few games and made his mlb debut at a young age, so really, his prime was still pretty long and also pretty great.
Yes to Andruw in the HOF. We became numb to his fielding greatness. The trio of HOF pitchers--Maddux, Smoltz and Glavine--well know he snuffed out plenty a hit with his glove. Saw him play A ball in Columbus, GA. He hit one out of center that's probably still going.
I grew up on the mid to late 90s Braves and Jones was my second favorite player on those teams behind Chipper. Those teams were amazing and Jones was the defensive backbone of those team. He deserves a spot in Cooperstown.
man, andruw jones was such a good player I'd like to see him in the Hall out of principle, not because he accumulated statistics. that's my dumb take lol
I definitely think he should be a Hall of Famer. A decade of brilliance is worthy, no matter how bad the rest of the career was. He was considered “Really Good” for a longer period of his career than he was considered “really bad.” As a kid growing up, Andruw Jones passed the eye test to me.
Randomly came upon this video. I grew up a braves fan and my favorite player was Jones. He wasn't a great hitter but was one of the greatest outfielders ever. He should get in.
I prolly wouldn't say he was a great hitter but It takes greatness to hit almost 450 homers in that short of a span. He wasn't Chipper-level great at the plate but he was great in his own right. You have to have a special bat to hit that many HRs in the bigs.
Rolen is overrated as hell. Never understood the argument for him. I saw him play a lot. Great defender but was never feared as a hitter. Only got MVP votes in four seasons. Barely over 2000 hits and only 316 homeruns...
@@josephvanhorn5347 Kent wasn’t great defensively. He does have a higher career OPS than Ryne Sandberg while playing half his games in much less hitter friendly parks. Kent was disliked by teammates and the press and that hurts him in the voting.
This was a great video with a lot of great history/analysis and I appreciated the comparisons. My opinion of Andruw has gone back & forth over the years. A few years ago, I probably would've said No to Andruw's HoF case. But the more I think about it (or the older I get), I tend to give him the benefit of the doubt and would like to see him eventually make it in. Also a potential subject for a new video, will Carlos Beltran's involvement in the Astros sign-stealing scandal hurt his HoF chances? His HoF trajectory might be interesting to watch, too..
Wow, I grew up a Braves fan as their games were on TBS and I loved Jones, especially his work in centerfield. I must have completely lost track of him after he left the Braves because I had no idea he fell off a cliff. 97% of his WAR before 30 years of age? God Almighty.
The girl I was dating from 1999 to 2001 and her mother were both HUGE Atlanta Braves fans. I'd quit watching MLB in 1995 after my Brew Crew fell apart but I must admit Braves had a badass team in Early 2000's. Chipper, Andruw and Javy Lopez batting plus Greg Maddox had an OBP over 50% in back to back years while hitting 2HR's. Not to mention one of the best pitching staffs of all time!
If Ozzie Smith can get into the HOF solely on his defense and in spite of his anemic offense, I see no reason Jones won't with his pretty good offense and being at minimum a top 3 defensive center fielder in history. If there's a year to gain ground, 2023 will be the year.
Ozzie's offense gets a bad rap. Not hitting for power and being an "anemic" hitter are too easily conflated in the 21st century. Ozzie had plenty of extra base hits and stole 580 bases. He also walked 2x as often as he struck out. And as incredible as Jones' defense was, Ozzie was even more remarkable. Their offensive careers are a relative wash for me.
@@brandonlesco8738 Ok sayimg anemic was probably a bit unfair. However, he only had four seasons with an OPS + above 100 and mainly stayed in the 80s. Also doesn't take a good hitter to steal that many bases (Look at Vince Coleman/Billy Hamilton). Overall, I do think Ozzie is a hall of fame player, but by that logic, so should guys like Vizquel and Jones.
As an Atlanta fan and native he was truly the real life Pedro Cerano from the movie Major League. He couldnt hit anything that broke to save his life. But he was a monster at CF and he was going to give you at least 30 bombs a year. His ease at making insane catches look routine numbed you to players with that gift. I remember calling him "cheeseburger" towards the end of his run here. He literally gained a ton of weight.
It's a disgrace that he's not in the hall right now. The argument should have been about whether he's a first-ballot hall of famer, not IF he's a hall of famer.
@@cityhawk Amen. Roughly 1.5 percent of MLB players have ended up in the HoF. Even less so for position players. The bar is sky high. You want to see a first ballot resume? Clayton Kershaw has one. Mike Trout has another. Albert Pujols is a lock, too. In other words, you need to be the best pitcher or player in baseball for YEARS. On average there should be somewhere between 10-15 future HoF players in the big leagues at any given moment and most of THEM won't get in right away. I don't think most fans, even people who love the game, realize how hard it is to make it to Cooperstown.
@@josephvanhorn5347 It’s because fans get attached to a team or player, and they overlook some of their flaws for the good they’ve done. Andruw Jones was a very good player…before age 30. After age 30, he was just another ball player. Dale Murphy was like that as well. Towards the late 80s to early 90s, he was a shell of what he was during his MVP seasons. His drop off was jaw dropping. While I see why fans want to see him in the Hall, the latter part of his career show otherwise. If he kept it up, he would have been in. That’s why it’s so tough to get into Cooperstown. It’s not the excellence, but the consistency. The one player I make a strong case for that meets that standard is Lou Whitaker. One of the best infielders in the game for about 15 seasons. It wasn’t just his bat, but his glove as well. Even though I’m not a Tigers fan, I’d love to see him in the Hall.
@@cityhawk Yeah you have to be really good for a really long time. Unless you're SO dominant that there's no way to ignore it like Koufax but that almost never happens.
AJ should be in. Anyone who watched him play every day in the 90s knows that he earned his spot. He was a defensive beast and a power/speed combination like few in MLB. He also came through on the biggest stage, like the World Series in Yankee stadium at 20 years old with 2 Homers. His health just fell apart at age 30.
Some of the best moments in baseball that I saw live involved Andruw Jones.. I saw him hit homeruns twice to the railroad tracks at Watt Powell Park in Charleston WV when he was in the minors ..then in 2000 I saw him in Atlanta rob a homerun that was definitely going over the wall and get a walkoff hit..may have been '99
I'd rather put Andruw Jones, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff and other "borderline HOF" in who could have easily gotten the HOF numbers if they cheated than the guys like Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire who got those numbers but cheated to get there and the guys like Arod, Ortiz and Bonds who would have gotten in without cheating but cheated anyway.
Hard to say with arod. He'd been juicing since he was 15. He likely wouldn't have been the #1 pick out of hs if he wasn't on steroids. He'd likely have had to play college ball til he built up his body. Quite a butterfly effect.
His reads set him apart. As soon as you hear the crack of the bat he was full speed to the landing spot. While most guys took a second to get a read on the ball and would have to sprint to recover and make a diving catch, Andrew would get such a great jump he would beat the ball to its spot and catch it with ease.
If old Bud Selig gets a Cooperstown plaque then why not the best slugger of all time and one of the best pitchers of all time? Selig knew about and profited from the rampant use of PEDs. So why does he get a pass?
Andrew Jones has 50 more defensive runs saved than 2nd place. You know who's 2nd place? Willie Fucking Mays. Willie played about 900 more games than Jones too. Jones was the best outfielder in the 146 year history of Major League Baseball.
Judging an entire Hall of Fame resume based on a downturn in the final seasons is the dumbest thing I've ever heard because most players play poorly in their final seasons. Going out on top is more of a rarity than anything else. His defensive numbers alone for that stretch in Atlanta should get him in. Statistically speaking the best Fielding center fielder of all time in that stretch. Then you add the offensive production. If his decade or so of absolute dominance had happened in New York or LA there wouldn't be a discussion and he'd already be in. Baseball writers are stupid and they always have been and they always will be and they really shouldn't have as much control over these things
But don’t you see, the hall of Fame is not for “most players”. It’s for the cream of the crop. The top couple of percent. If you have a 20 year career with a WAR slightly negative for the last couple of years, that’s different than Jones, who pretty much dropped off a cliff after age 30.
Precisely how is "statistically the best center fielder possibly to ever field the position" not cream of the crop? How are guys like Harold baines in and considered cream of the crop?
@@NDTexan Baines shouldn’t be in either. But it doesn’t change the fact that the last third of Jones’s career (5 years) he was a horrible player and even had a -2.1 defensive WAR over that period. That is a LONG time for a player to be below replacement level in his career and make the Hall.
So five baseball seasons that truly only amount to about two and a half actual full seasons because of the amount of games he actually played (due to injury), that still didn't even dent his defensive numbers enough to take him out of consideration as greatest Fielding center fielder of all time, are enough to take away from an entire Hall of Fame career? Fun fact as not great as his offensive numbers were those last five partial seasons he still generated enough offensive WAR to end up positive WAR overall even in those five years. His numbers during his peak years (JAWS, wRC+, WAR, etc.) Are all well above accepted levels for Hall of famers at the same position for their peak years. And that's going over a 7-year span and doesn't even include the remainder of his decade of absolute dominance. Almost like everything wasn't as abysmal as people claim.
He WOULD be a slam dunk if he did ANYTHING during his 30's. Jones has a slight problem in that Jim Edmonds didn't even stay on the ballot and arguably has a better resume.
Edmonds not even staying on the ballot but Alan Trammel and Harold Baines getting in destroyed my faith in the voting for the HOF. It's almost as bad as the rock n roll hall of fame.
I got an Andruw Jone foul ball in 2005 I think. It was against the Mets in Atlanta. Only ball I have ever been close to getting. I hope he makes the HOF.
Also, a BH video that checks both Foolish and Jon Bois is getting us one step closer to an "Avengers"-style Ultimate Collabo and I am entirely here for it.
It's situations like this that make me think the HoF induction process should be different(assuming he doesn't get in). One of the best if not the best defensive CF of all time. I personally think he's the best at defense. Also in the roid Era he was clean as a whistle(barring the 50HR season) as his decline at 30ish proves even more. Andrew should be in, no questions asked .
Andruw started getting significant playing time at 18 years old and did great things. He is still the youngest player to hit a homerun in a WS and the youngest to hit multiple homeruns in a WS game. His body deteriorated prematurely because played centerfield with reckless abandon, seemingly laying out for a great catch nightly to the point where highlights became routine. He has a 10 year window were he was unquestionably, the best centerfielder in baseball both hitting and fielding. There are several HOFers that fell apart in their early 30's after killing it in their 20's.
It's truly a shame that our American education system never even MENTIONED Andruw Jones. I'm glad great Historians such as yourself are keeping History alive
I think he will make it. It's sad to think he almost got screwed on the first go-round like Lou Whitaker. Lou still can't crack the club, even with the veterans committee, which is a shame. With Bonds and Clemens out of the way that should add votes to his plate. Those guys are kept out for the right reasons IMO. Schilling is getting the shaft because the writers don't like his politics, which is a load of crap. But that's me.
@@rlsfrny I hope so. The Tigers are doing the right thing and retiring his number this August, even though the typical standard for that is election to the HOF. I will be at that ceremony. He really should have gone in with Alan Trammell, his partner at short for 19 seasons, the longest running double-play combination in the history of the game. Again, here's hoping you are correct.
@@bobbyverdin7915 I read a column from a voter who all but came out and admitted in print that he wouldn't vote for him because he didn't like his politics, referring to him as a knuckle-dragger. I wonder if he would have had the stones to say the same thing about someone on the other side of the political spectrum? Something tells me the answer to that is a resounding no. The reason, that sort of name-calling against someone on the other side of the political aisle would have been a fireable offense in today's newsrooms. Too bad because Curt Schilling certainly has the numbers. I get the feeling the veterans committee will right that injustice.
I feel like you alluded to Andruw's range and glove as the reason he was such a great CF. Don't get me wrong, he had those abilities, but what set Andruw apart was his arm. It was a laser cannon. Probably the best arm that has ever played CF. He would gun people out at home with regularity which is something you almost never see from a CF these days.
He is definitely getting in. The problem was back then few were aware of the def. metrics. Players like Edmonds were considered to be at least nearly as good as Jones when in reality Jones was probably 4x more valuable defensively. That said Edmonds is a HOFer too. Look up the stats. Andruw would catch balls with time to spare that Edmonds would make cool dives for. They both made some truly great plays tho. Andruw had the quickest reactions ever. He would be running before the ball was even hit almost every play. He knew his staff so well. Playing with the same pitchers so long helped but it was far more than that. He played so shallow that he caught so many more balls than other players. He wasn't scared of an extra base hit. He was very smart
I can't even hear the name Andruw Jones without thinking about that game against the Cubs when he pulled up short on a fly ball and Bobby Cox jerked him out of the game so fast his cap was left spinning mid air at the spot where he once stood.
You do make a pretty good case for why Andruw Jones should be in the Hall. I like to track balloting numbers from year to year (especially of those who may have a good chance of getting in). I haven’t taken a look at Jones’ percentages yet, but your analysis looks promising. I think Scott Rolen (just based on his balloting percentages) has the best chance of getting in, either next year or in 2024. The only potential first ballot candidate I see for 2023 is probably Carlos Beltrán. Being that my dad is a lifelong Braves fan and watched a lot of Braves baseball in the ‘90s (when TBS was airing their games nationally), I’d love to see Andruw Jones get in.
Totally agree with Steven. Been watching and following MLB since 1971. Andrew Jones is without question the best center fielder I have ever saw. On defense alone he should b in the HOF. Ask people who played with him or against him c what they say.
The problem is that there have been a string of recent players who have gotten in that shouldn’t have. Halladay got in because he died. Alan Trammell, Tim Raines are the 3 off the top of my head. Can’t say trammell and Raines should be in without Murphy and/or A. Jones.
He was so good for so long and his team won every year. Lots of players in history fell off after thirty injuries weight biology things change at diff rates for different people and reasons
Ice watched soo many baseball games it make my head hurt with all the memories.. but this is the best sport too me. 9 men come up and then repeat over and over.. some greath athletes have come and gone... Injuries, scandals,hof kicked out, i hope most players get in the hall but not just anybody!!!
All these ‘advanced stats’ like war drive me crazy. I watched Jones and he deserves it, hands down. Not everyone with a decline does but he was someone I made an effort to watch, and being in the Boston market wasn’t always easy. His defensive play was so fun to watch along with Edmonds.
I’m a 90s baby from Georgia. Some of my best childhood moments were of Andruw Jones roaming center field and hitting home runs. Too bad the Braves never won a World Series with him and he had such a steep decline.
My only problem with the "he fell off at 30" narrative is that it conveniently leaves out he was in the majors earlier than most people at 19 years old. To me, if you're the best defensive center fielder for a full decade (and a pretty good power hitter to boot), it shouldn't matter whether those 10 years were from 19-29 or 25-35. It's still the same length of a peak.
I really don't think the suggested view is that he shouldn't be in the Hall because of falling off at 30. I think it is more of an observation of that is what happened. Playing so many mediocre/bad years tends to blur his peak.
4:22 “There’s Ken Griffey Jr. who made baseball cool for 90’s kid’s everywhere” that statement couldn’t have been more truer, Seattle in the 90’s was something different.. best childhoods. 5:05 it was said it was a Yankees voter that made Griffey not unanimous, because of his untethered hate for the worst organization in baseball
Everyone is overthinking this one. He’s an obvious HOFer. The point you make10 GGs and 400 plus HRs should be where the debate ends. Being a cornerstone of a dynasty only adds to it. How many games did he save for the Big 3 all those years? For 12 years it was hard to see how great he truly was defensively. Edmonds would make crazy amazing diving catches whereas Jones always seems to be camped under every fly ball. Thrn you realize that he was camped under EVERY fly ball. How many doubles were ever hit for CF all those years? I remember only one. Also- two HRS in a World Series game at Yankee Stadium? Yes he did. Hmmm… wasn’t he also a teenager? First since Ott?
Had he come up at 23 and played until 35 he would be in without question. He came up at 18 and was done at 30 and is being penalized for it. Mss as king the majors as a teen is legendary in its own right.
Looking at it through the Keltner list, I have a few doubts about his candidacy - the first of which is, if we're going to put a star outfielder for the Atlanta Braves in the HOF, we should be starting with Dale Murphy. As for Andruw - Hate to say it, but there's a pretty strong argument that he wasn't even the best player with the last name Jones on the Braves.
Both chipper and Andruw are all time greats in their own right. Chipper as one of the best switch hitters of all time, Andruw as one of the best fielders of all time. They both deserve the HoF.
They aren't comparable. Pujols regressed in Anaheim, however he never embarrassed himself like Jones did. I suspect Pujols was older than actually reported when he started in 2001. His regression was not surprising. It's too bad he didn't finish his career in St. Louis.
Jones will make the Hall in a year or two. After Jones turned 30, he either decided that he didn't care very much or else he had the steepest decline I've ever seen. Good thing for him that his counting stats still add up pretty nicely.
He should get in, and I think he will. The greatest defensive centerfielder of all time also hit 434 career homers. No PED suspicion. Well-liked during his playing days.
@MRwiththa how are you measuring that though? That was the point of the video. 10 gold gloves? Not perfect. Dwar? Total zone? Eye test? You can certainly make a good argument for Mays or Jones.
Judging the best fielder by antiquated statistics like put outs and assists does not actually take into account proper defensive metrics at all. That's like saying Fielding percentage is King
Ken Griffey Jr. begs to differ….
@@robertmorlet793 Griffey completely fell apart defensively in the 2000’s due to his injuries. If you’re only counting the first half of his career then I could definitely see a case, but you can’t just ignore his time in Cincinnati
And even if you’re comparing peaks defensively, Jones was still better. From 1997-2007 he collected >220 TZ and >26 dWAR while Griffey picked up 11 dWAR and 68 TZ
Put Jones's 10-year period in Atlanta up against griffey's prime years in Seattle and defensively Jones wins with every single advanced metric. That's not a knock on Griffey Jr by the way. Jones was that good with a glove. Cebolla nailed it.
Claiming a ped suspicion that there never was anything even close to a tangible suspicion of is dumb because just saying he hit a lot of home runs one year and then suddenly stopped hitting them can be applied to a ton of players who also never had a suspicion.
Willie Mays was of course a better overall player and no one is arguing that but defensive metrics is what we're talking here and yes Jones has better numbers than Willie when you look at proper metrics.
He should get in. I watched most of his games every year growing up and I remember thinking "he's gonna make 15-20 unbelievable catches every year!" Bobby cox even said that even if he couldn't hit he'd played him every day cos he's gonna save at least 1 run every game
This channel is a hidden treasure. No BS, excellent writing, great choice of music, and relaxing narration.
No annoying audio cuts either.
I watched him so much in the 90’s, he not only had the quickness and speed in the outfield but he was one of the top guys to read balls off the bat. This led him to make many tough plays look easy. The seemingly impossible plays he would make possible and save the Braves from huge innings if not saving the game outright. Definitely deserves a spot I think.
Joe D was the master at reading the ball off the bat. When Joe was in CF, he made everything look easy. Very similar to Andruw Jones. (No, I am not placing Jones in Joe D territory, but if you watch how he played, it was just smooth)
@@brianperry4754 Andruw was a much better defensive player than Joe D.
Then he started getting fat around the same time he became an all or nothing power hitter hmm
The lack of flashiness made players like Edmonds look at times as good as Andruw but Andruw was routinely getting to balls on his feet that Edmonds had to dive for. Look at the defensive stats. Compare them as an example of how people's eyes were lying to them back then. He was essentially twice as valuable defensively as any other player at any position for a decade. Not to mention he was no doubt a better hitter than 90% of big leaguers. He is definitely getting in
400+ Home runs 10 gold gloves NUFF SAID he should've been first ballot
Andruw Jones should absolutely get in. I think the fact that he accomplished so much by age 30 should be enough to get him in regardless of what he did afterwards. Not to mention, Jones is one of only 4 players to hit 50 home runs in a season AND win a gold glove.
Fr
Facts
Wow, great stat that I hadn't heard before. That's some limited company. You know who the other 3 were?
@@doc8013 A Rod, Ken Griffey Jr, and Mickey Mantle.
@@GamingGalore64 talk about impressive company.
Andruw Jones really catapulted baseball to new heights here on the island of Curaçao. It's because of him we have players like Ozzie Albies. Andruw Jones really was the hero of all kids in Curaçao back in time 🇨🇼🇨🇼🇨🇼🇨🇼🇨🇼🇨🇼
Kenley Jensen as well💪🏽
Androo Jones. Andruw. Andrew. Androu Jones
Never forgot him making a fancy over-the-shoulder basket catch in Boston to end the game and get reliever John Smoltz out of a major gases loaded jam. He caught it in the deepest corner of the Fenway Park outfield amidst screaming fans who thought they were seeing either a grand slam or a bases-loaded triple. It was breath-taking in it's quick fluidity, and Jones just smiled at the fans and quickly flipped the ball up to them. Pure hotdoging, but pure skill and talent. As a Braves fan I was terrified we'd blown it but that catch by Andruw saved the day and the game.
This may be a dumb take but, I think if you’re the greatest ever at something you deserve a hall of fame spot. Greatest defender at your position ever? Yes. Greatest bunter ever? Sure. Is this a dumb take? Probably. But I’ll stand by it
How about dubious records? (Hint: yes)
Strikeouts: HoF (Reggie Jackson)
Most interceptions: HoF (Brett Favre)
Most missed shots NBA: HoF (Kobe)
@@sil-80nick to be fair in order to have the most of any of these you have to pretty damn good at other things to stick around that long
@@lunarumbreon7699 I know, I was being silly with my post. That was my whole point. Even if someone is the "worst" at doing something as measured by most "failures", you're still likely to be in the hall of fame.
And to your point, while Reggie Jackson has the most strikeouts, there are a million guys who hit less than .200 with fewer strikeouts will never sniff the hall of fame. So fewer strikeouts doesn't automatically make those players "better" than RJ.
@@sil-80nick yeah that was my point. If you’re the number 1 in those sorts of stats you have to be good in order to stay around long enough to pull that off
This reminds me of my take on Devin Hester in football. Greatest return man in history,and therefore should be in imo
When you spend that chunk of time as one of the most feared hitters in the league, and simultaneously one of the best defensive outfielders ever, you should be in Cooperstown. Let him in.
He wasn't the most feared hitters dude I'm sorry he was a guess hitter With some pop
@@ethanniedorowski116 he hit 50 homers with almost 130 RBIs while hitting close to .300 for most of the season in the earlys 00s. He was ABSOLUTELY one of the most feared hitters in the league so you just don't know what you're speaking on lol. He would've won MVP that year if it wasn't for a mini slump to close out the season.
@@doc8013 ya I watched him play so actually I do ..idk me an the people that do know seem to say no so idk
@@ethanniedorowski116 well, I literally just gave you FACTS that completely shred your argument. So, do I trust the eyeballs of someone who claimed to have "watched him play" or do I trust cold, hard facts and numbers? I mean, you're just shamefully and pitifully wrong.
@@doc8013 is he in the hof? Oh He isn't what % did he get for votes ?
He was a . 254 hitter total guess hitter an look at those braves teams in 2004 an 2005
He wasn't even best guy on his team..
Good player hall of very good... but he is Jim Edmonds just with a better glove an not as good of a bat. . You talk about those w years like thats how he hit his whole career not the case... you ovb just love the play ... chipper got in for a reason Maddox got in no issues huh wonder why .....
An I wonder why nobody wanted to vote Jones in?? Maybe he was a steroids player who hit hrs in small park an played that small park well on d dude was a player an I'd love to have him be my center fielder but he wasn't Griffey or a hof he hit 280 twice once when he hot 301 somehow an then when he went to LA when he hit scale
I used to love Andruw Jones when he was in Atlanta. Always brought some flash to the game, whether it was diving catches, robbing homers, or even just the way he used to throw the ball back to the infield.
Andruw Jones still deserves a Hall of Fame Spot.
No he didn’t I have to disagree. As the video points out-Jones collapses as a player-unprecedented. It didn’t seem right to honor a a player who gave up. Also his domestic violence arrest should already make him a “no-vote.”
@@bradhorowitz2765 You are the same type of person who thinks Barry Bonds doesn't belong in the hall of fame.
@@BaseballisEverything if Bonds isnt in the HOF, Andruw certainly doesnt belong. Bonds had way better numbers than Andruw BEFORE he started using roids.
Fred McGriff anyone????
@@bradhorowitz2765
There are countless abusers, racists, and dopers in the HOF. I mean what the hell are guys like Cap Anson and Tom Yawkey doing in the Hall if that’s the case? It’s never been about character or integrity. So it’s either none of those guys should be in or all of them should be.
My all time favorite player, was a thrill to watch him everyday as a kid
Same! Outside of probably Maddux, Andruw was probably the best Braves player in the 90s. Too bad he never won a World Series with all the talent around him.
Same here. If not for Jones I never would've fell in love with baseball
Andruw Jones ate his way out of the HoF. He would easily be an 80+ career WAR player if he'd stayed disciplined.
He's still the greatest defensive CF of all time.
lol. you're probably right about that.
GRIFFEY is the greatest Def CF
@@tylerpitman2339 I don't think he's even top 20
@@treygray2817 u on drugs??
@@tylerpitman2339 defense isn't when you're at bat that's offense
I think about it this way, his prime ended at a much earlier time than most hof contenders, but during that time, he missed very few games and made his mlb debut at a young age, so really, his prime was still pretty long and also pretty great.
Dude came up as a 19 year old and was great right away. That gets overlooked by those folks saying his prime wasn't long enough.
I think he loved the braves so much that when he got traded to another team he fell apart
Yes to Andruw in the HOF. We became numb to his fielding greatness. The trio of HOF pitchers--Maddux, Smoltz and Glavine--well know he snuffed out plenty a hit with his glove. Saw him play A ball in Columbus, GA. He hit one out of center that's probably still going.
I love how many players from my childhood have their sons being drafted now. Druw Jones is gonna be fun to watch
You always make some great videos, provoking a good discussion. Hopefully he gets in someday.
Great closing in the end, Chipper was like a big bro to Andruw you can tell the Braves bond in the 90s was unbreakable.
Chipper was still a baby at that point too.
This is Andrew Jones we're talking about so yes he's a HOF'er
I grew up on the mid to late 90s Braves and Jones was my second favorite player on those teams behind Chipper. Those teams were amazing and Jones was the defensive backbone of those team. He deserves a spot in Cooperstown.
andruw was much older than anyone suspected when he joined the braves. he was not 19 he was already 24-25 when he joined atlanta..
Good call. Same with Pujols and quite a few others.
man, andruw jones was such a good player
I'd like to see him in the Hall out of principle, not because he accumulated statistics.
that's my dumb take lol
Such a great video! I’m a Braves fan and this insight is phenomenal
I definitely think he should be a Hall of Famer. A decade of brilliance is worthy, no matter how bad the rest of the career was. He was considered “Really Good” for a longer period of his career than he was considered “really bad.” As a kid growing up, Andruw Jones passed the eye test to me.
Randomly came upon this video. I grew up a braves fan and my favorite player was Jones. He wasn't a great hitter but was one of the greatest outfielders ever. He should get in.
He shouldn't but thank you for not saying he was great hitter cuse he wasn't.... but damn could he run down a ball maybe as well as anyone but mays
I prolly wouldn't say he was a great hitter but It takes greatness to hit almost 450 homers in that short of a span. He wasn't Chipper-level great at the plate but he was great in his own right. You have to have a special bat to hit that many HRs in the bigs.
I really appreciate how high-quality your videos are. Great job.
I grew up a Braves fan & really started watching them in the late 80’s. Andruw Jones is my childhood. And he is also my favorite player of all time!!
Jones will get in by the Veterans Committee. The VC is a bit more forgiving than the BBWAA. Rolen and Kent deserve to be in the HOF.
Rolen should be in before Kent. One was an elite defender and the other was just okay.
Rolen will get in this year or next, not by the Vets Committee.
Rolen is overrated as hell. Never understood the argument for him. I saw him play a lot. Great defender but was never feared as a hitter. Only got MVP votes in four seasons. Barely over 2000 hits and only 316 homeruns...
@@damonke79 but 300 home runs at 3rd base is allot
@@josephvanhorn5347 Kent wasn’t great defensively. He does have a higher career OPS than Ryne Sandberg while playing half his games in much less hitter friendly parks. Kent was disliked by teammates and the press and that hurts him in the voting.
The most underrated baseball players in history. Chipper was great, sold alot of tickets. But Andruw was always the better player
Uhhhh, no, not the most underrated in history.
No way he’s better than chipper relax there he was good but chipper was the better hitter and also a stud at his position
This was a great video with a lot of great history/analysis and I appreciated the comparisons. My opinion of Andruw has gone back & forth over the years. A few years ago, I probably would've said No to Andruw's HoF case. But the more I think about it (or the older I get), I tend to give him the benefit of the doubt and would like to see him eventually make it in.
Also a potential subject for a new video, will Carlos Beltran's involvement in the Astros sign-stealing scandal hurt his HoF chances? His HoF trajectory might be interesting to watch, too..
Wow, I grew up a Braves fan as their games were on TBS and I loved Jones, especially his work in centerfield. I must have completely lost track of him after he left the Braves because I had no idea he fell off a cliff. 97% of his WAR before 30 years of age? God Almighty.
Same
You have so much grace while informing us with the history of the game we love.
The girl I was dating from 1999 to 2001 and her mother were both HUGE Atlanta Braves fans. I'd quit watching MLB in 1995 after my Brew Crew fell apart but I must admit Braves had a badass team in Early 2000's. Chipper, Andruw and Javy Lopez batting plus Greg Maddox had an OBP over 50% in back to back years while hitting 2HR's. Not to mention one of the best pitching staffs of all time!
If Ozzie Smith can get into the HOF solely on his defense and in spite of his anemic offense, I see no reason Jones won't with his pretty good offense and being at minimum a top 3 defensive center fielder in history.
If there's a year to gain ground, 2023 will be the year.
Ozzie's offense gets a bad rap. Not hitting for power and being an "anemic" hitter are too easily conflated in the 21st century. Ozzie had plenty of extra base hits and stole 580 bases. He also walked 2x as often as he struck out. And as incredible as Jones' defense was, Ozzie was even more remarkable. Their offensive careers are a relative wash for me.
It's a crime dog that Fred McGriff ain't in the hall of fame
@@brandonlesco8738 Ok sayimg anemic was probably a bit unfair. However, he only had four seasons with an OPS + above 100 and mainly stayed in the 80s. Also doesn't take a good hitter to steal that many bases (Look at Vince Coleman/Billy Hamilton).
Overall, I do think Ozzie is a hall of fame player, but by that logic, so should guys like Vizquel and Jones.
Great breakdown. I never realized how amazing Andruw was before 30 nor how bad he was after
As an Atlanta fan and native he was truly the real life Pedro Cerano from the movie Major League. He couldnt hit anything that broke to save his life. But he was a monster at CF and he was going to give you at least 30 bombs a year. His ease at making insane catches look routine numbed you to players with that gift. I remember calling him "cheeseburger" towards the end of his run here. He literally gained a ton of weight.
It's a disgrace that he's not in the hall right now. The argument should have been about whether he's a first-ballot hall of famer, not IF he's a hall of famer.
Don't think you realize what a first ballot HoF resume looks like. That ain't it.
@@josephvanhorn5347 Thank goodness fans don't have a say in Cooperstown or else everyone with a pulse would be in the Hall.
@@cityhawk Amen. Roughly 1.5 percent of MLB players have ended up in the HoF. Even less so for position players. The bar is sky high. You want to see a first ballot resume? Clayton Kershaw has one. Mike Trout has another. Albert Pujols is a lock, too. In other words, you need to be the best pitcher or player in baseball for YEARS. On average there should be somewhere between 10-15 future HoF players in the big leagues at any given moment and most of THEM won't get in right away. I don't think most fans, even people who love the game, realize how hard it is to make it to Cooperstown.
@@josephvanhorn5347 It’s because fans get attached to a team or player, and they overlook some of their flaws for the good they’ve done. Andruw Jones was a very good player…before age 30. After age 30, he was just another ball player. Dale Murphy was like that as well. Towards the late 80s to early 90s, he was a shell of what he was during his MVP seasons. His drop off was jaw dropping. While I see why fans want to see him in the Hall, the latter part of his career show otherwise. If he kept it up, he would have been in. That’s why it’s so tough to get into Cooperstown. It’s not the excellence, but the consistency. The one player I make a strong case for that meets that standard is Lou Whitaker. One of the best infielders in the game for about 15 seasons. It wasn’t just his bat, but his glove as well. Even though I’m not a Tigers fan, I’d love to see him in the Hall.
@@cityhawk Yeah you have to be really good for a really long time. Unless you're SO dominant that there's no way to ignore it like Koufax but that almost never happens.
CORRECTION: Barry Bonds has 762 career home runs, not 756 (Thanks to @WhatHappenedtoBaseball? for pointing out the error).
This video and the Nolan Ryan video are among your best work. Keep it up.
AJ should be in. Anyone who watched him play every day in the 90s knows that he earned his spot. He was a defensive beast and a power/speed combination like few in MLB. He also came through on the biggest stage, like the World Series in Yankee stadium at 20 years old with 2 Homers. His health just fell apart at age 30.
Some of the best moments in baseball that I saw live involved Andruw Jones.. I saw him hit homeruns twice to the railroad tracks at Watt Powell Park in Charleston WV when he was in the minors ..then in 2000 I saw him in Atlanta rob a homerun that was definitely going over the wall and get a walkoff hit..may have been '99
I sure did love the Jones boys way back..Greatest centerfielder ever. He smashed back in the day too.. I hope he makes it
I'd rather put Andruw Jones, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff and other "borderline HOF" in who could have easily gotten the HOF numbers if they cheated than the guys like Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire who got those numbers but cheated to get there and the guys like Arod, Ortiz and Bonds who would have gotten in without cheating but cheated anyway.
Hard to say with arod. He'd been juicing since he was 15. He likely wouldn't have been the #1 pick out of hs if he wasn't on steroids. He'd likely have had to play college ball til he built up his body. Quite a butterfly effect.
His reads set him apart. As soon as you hear the crack of the bat he was full speed to the landing spot. While most guys took a second to get a read on the ball and would have to sprint to recover and make a diving catch, Andrew would get such a great jump he would beat the ball to its spot and catch it with ease.
If old Bud Selig gets a Cooperstown plaque then why not the best slugger of all time and one of the best pitchers of all time? Selig knew about and profited from the rampant use of PEDs. So why does he get a pass?
One of the best players I’ve ever watched. He deserves a spot in the hall.
Andruw Jones, Chipper Jones, big cat, plus that pitching Maddux Glavine, smoltz even John rocker the braves where littttttt
Andrew Jones has 50 more defensive runs saved than 2nd place. You know who's 2nd place? Willie Fucking Mays. Willie played about 900 more games than Jones too. Jones was the best outfielder in the 146 year history of Major League Baseball.
My favorite player growing up. Best CFer I’ve ever seen, everything he did on offense was a bonus. He should be in the HOF.
Andruw was a monster and at one point the youngest to hit a Home Run in the World Series.
Was just thinking "when's a new baseball historian video going to drop" and here you go!!👍🏼🙏🏼
Judging an entire Hall of Fame resume based on a downturn in the final seasons is the dumbest thing I've ever heard because most players play poorly in their final seasons. Going out on top is more of a rarity than anything else.
His defensive numbers alone for that stretch in Atlanta should get him in. Statistically speaking the best Fielding center fielder of all time in that stretch. Then you add the offensive production.
If his decade or so of absolute dominance had happened in New York or LA there wouldn't be a discussion and he'd already be in. Baseball writers are stupid and they always have been and they always will be and they really shouldn't have as much control over these things
But don’t you see, the hall of Fame is not for “most players”. It’s for the cream of the crop. The top couple of percent. If you have a 20 year career with a WAR slightly negative for the last couple of years, that’s different than Jones, who pretty much dropped off a cliff after age 30.
Precisely how is "statistically the best center fielder possibly to ever field the position" not cream of the crop? How are guys like Harold baines in and considered cream of the crop?
@@NDTexan Baines shouldn’t be in either. But it doesn’t change the fact that the last third of Jones’s career (5 years) he was a horrible player and even had a -2.1 defensive WAR over that period. That is a LONG time for a player to be below replacement level in his career and make the Hall.
So five baseball seasons that truly only amount to about two and a half actual full seasons because of the amount of games he actually played (due to injury), that still didn't even dent his defensive numbers enough to take him out of consideration as greatest Fielding center fielder of all time, are enough to take away from an entire Hall of Fame career?
Fun fact as not great as his offensive numbers were those last five partial seasons he still generated enough offensive WAR to end up positive WAR overall even in those five years. His numbers during his peak years (JAWS, wRC+, WAR, etc.) Are all well above accepted levels for Hall of famers at the same position for their peak years. And that's going over a 7-year span and doesn't even include the remainder of his decade of absolute dominance.
Almost like everything wasn't as abysmal as people claim.
He WOULD be a slam dunk if he did ANYTHING during his 30's. Jones has a slight problem in that Jim Edmonds didn't even stay on the ballot and arguably has a better resume.
Edmonds not even staying on the ballot but Alan Trammel and Harold Baines getting in destroyed my faith in the voting for the HOF. It's almost as bad as the rock n roll hall of fame.
I got an Andruw Jone foul ball in 2005 I think. It was against the Mets in Atlanta. Only ball I have ever been close to getting. I hope he makes the HOF.
I also think Delgado should get in as well. He was a hitting machine
Also, a BH video that checks both Foolish and Jon Bois is getting us one step closer to an "Avengers"-style Ultimate Collabo and I am entirely here for it.
Please do a video on why Ozzie Smith was drastically better at fielding than Omar Vizquel. It's been written about but I'd love your take.
Vizquel was a better offensive player.
@@alwillk he wasnt GOOD tho
For years people would say, "Ozzie Smith is in the HOF so Vizquel should as well." But, a deep dive shows how superior Ozzie was defensively.
@@mozzie22 also, Ozzie never sexually assaulted anyone that we know of
@kaegator Ozzie smith was the most over rated player I ever saw and is solely in because of his glove.
It's situations like this that make me think the HoF induction process should be different(assuming he doesn't get in). One of the best if not the best defensive CF of all time. I personally think he's the best at defense. Also in the roid Era he was clean as a whistle(barring the 50HR season) as his decline at 30ish proves even more. Andrew should be in, no questions asked .
That Jeter drivebye is hilarious lmaooo
caught a mean stray man 💀
I'm a Braves fan since the early 90s I say let him in the Hall of Fame he was that good
Throwing you a like because the dWAR chapter name made me laugh out loud, great effort
Andruw started getting significant playing time at 18 years old and did great things. He is still the youngest player to hit a homerun in a WS and the youngest to hit multiple homeruns in a WS game. His body deteriorated prematurely because played centerfield with reckless abandon, seemingly laying out for a great catch nightly to the point where highlights became routine. He has a 10 year window were he was unquestionably, the best centerfielder in baseball both hitting and fielding. There are several HOFers that fell apart in their early 30's after killing it in their 20's.
It's truly a shame that our American education system never even MENTIONED Andruw Jones. I'm glad great Historians such as yourself are keeping History alive
I think he will make it. It's sad to think he almost got screwed on the first go-round like Lou Whitaker. Lou still can't crack the club, even with the veterans committee, which is a shame. With Bonds and Clemens out of the way that should add votes to his plate. Those guys are kept out for the right reasons IMO. Schilling is getting the shaft because the writers don't like his politics, which is a load of crap. But that's me.
Lou Whitaker will get in on the next go-round.
Agree with the take on Schill. He should be in as well.
@@rlsfrny I hope so. The Tigers are doing the right thing and retiring his number this August, even though the typical standard for that is election to the HOF. I will be at that ceremony. He really should have gone in with Alan Trammell, his partner at short for 19 seasons, the longest running double-play combination in the history of the game. Again, here's hoping you are correct.
@@bobbyverdin7915 I read a column from a voter who all but came out and admitted in print that he wouldn't vote for him because he didn't like his politics, referring to him as a knuckle-dragger. I wonder if he would have had the stones to say the same thing about someone on the other side of the political spectrum? Something tells me the answer to that is a resounding no. The reason, that sort of name-calling against someone on the other side of the political aisle would have been a fireable offense in today's newsrooms. Too bad because Curt Schilling certainly has the numbers. I get the feeling the veterans committee will right that injustice.
I completely despise Schilling but I don't understand how you keep him out of the HOF
He made everything look effortless. Idk how else to explain it lol with such ease the man caught anyball that came too him lol
I feel like you alluded to Andruw's range and glove as the reason he was such a great CF. Don't get me wrong, he had those abilities, but what set Andruw apart was his arm. It was a laser cannon. Probably the best arm that has ever played CF. He would gun people out at home with regularity which is something you almost never see from a CF these days.
"Along Came Seat Geek" my favorite my 2000s romcom
Andruw was my favorite player growing up I loved the braves and Andruw
He is definitely getting in. The problem was back then few were aware of the def. metrics. Players like Edmonds were considered to be at least nearly as good as Jones when in reality Jones was probably 4x more valuable defensively. That said Edmonds is a HOFer too. Look up the stats. Andruw would catch balls with time to spare that Edmonds would make cool dives for. They both made some truly great plays tho. Andruw had the quickest reactions ever. He would be running before the ball was even hit almost every play. He knew his staff so well. Playing with the same pitchers so long helped but it was far more than that. He played so shallow that he caught so many more balls than other players. He wasn't scared of an extra base hit. He was very smart
He should get in. He was one of the best defensive center fielders ever to play
I can't even hear the name Andruw Jones without thinking about that game against the Cubs when he pulled up short on a fly ball and Bobby Cox jerked him out of the game so fast his cap was left spinning mid air at the spot where he once stood.
Really spent the first 2 mins talking about Pujols
You do make a pretty good case for why Andruw Jones should be in the Hall. I like to track balloting numbers from year to year (especially of those who may have a good chance of getting in). I haven’t taken a look at Jones’ percentages yet, but your analysis looks promising. I think Scott Rolen (just based on his balloting percentages) has the best chance of getting in, either next year or in 2024. The only potential first ballot candidate I see for 2023 is probably Carlos Beltrán.
Being that my dad is a lifelong Braves fan and watched a lot of Braves baseball in the ‘90s (when TBS was airing their games nationally), I’d love to see Andruw Jones get in.
The Albert pujols section at the beginning did not age well.
Totally agree with Steven. Been watching and following MLB since 1971. Andrew Jones is without question the best center fielder I have ever saw. On defense alone he should b in the HOF. Ask people who played with him or against him c what they say.
The problem is that there have been a string of recent players who have gotten in that shouldn’t have. Halladay got in because he died. Alan Trammell, Tim Raines are the 3 off the top of my head. Can’t say trammell and Raines should be in without Murphy and/or A. Jones.
Raines definitely deserved to be in. Trammell? No. Baines? Hell no
What's the argument against Halladay?
@@allstarr9tc Halladay was deserving. I had no problem with it whatsoever. I know you were asking the other guy but there's my two cents
He was so good for so long and his team won every year. Lots of players in history fell off after thirty injuries weight biology things change at diff rates for different people and reasons
As a Cards fan who watched the Braves kill the 90s: Jones should be in the Hall. That team was so cool to watch.
God I loved Andruw J. He was so solid, so consistent, and so friendly.
Ice watched soo many baseball games it make my head hurt with all the memories.. but this is the best sport too me. 9 men come up and then repeat over and over.. some greath athletes have come and gone... Injuries, scandals,hof kicked out, i hope most players get in the hall but not just anybody!!!
He should get in. His defense from 1996-2007 was legendary. And oh yeah he had some pop with his bat with over 400 HR’s
Love the videos
All these ‘advanced stats’ like war drive me crazy. I watched Jones and he deserves it, hands down. Not everyone with a decline does but he was someone I made an effort to watch, and being in the Boston market wasn’t always easy. His defensive play was so fun to watch along with Edmonds.
I’m a 90s baby from Georgia. Some of my best childhood moments were of Andruw Jones roaming center field and hitting home runs. Too bad the Braves never won a World Series with him and he had such a steep decline.
My only problem with the "he fell off at 30" narrative is that it conveniently leaves out he was in the majors earlier than most people at 19 years old. To me, if you're the best defensive center fielder for a full decade (and a pretty good power hitter to boot), it shouldn't matter whether those 10 years were from 19-29 or 25-35. It's still the same length of a peak.
I really don't think the suggested view is that he shouldn't be in the Hall because of falling off at 30. I think it is more of an observation of that is what happened. Playing so many mediocre/bad years tends to blur his peak.
Well done video.
4:22 “There’s Ken Griffey Jr. who made baseball cool for 90’s kid’s everywhere” that statement couldn’t have been more truer, Seattle in the 90’s was something different.. best childhoods.
5:05 it was said it was a Yankees voter that made Griffey not unanimous, because of his untethered hate for the worst organization in baseball
Dude made a splash vs us in that 96 World Series I believe he homered twice in Game 1 & drove in 6
Between him and Dale Murphy, playing CF in Atlanta must be the kiss of death with the voters.
I might've missed Jesus' sermon on the mount, the renaissance, and the moon landing, but at least I got to see that era of Braves baseball.
I went to Jones first ever home game in Atlanta, he was so damn good.
Everyone is overthinking this one. He’s an obvious HOFer. The point you make10 GGs and 400 plus HRs should be where the debate ends. Being a cornerstone of a dynasty only adds to it. How many games did he save for the Big 3 all those years? For 12 years it was hard to see how great he truly was defensively. Edmonds would make crazy amazing diving catches whereas Jones always seems to be camped under every fly ball. Thrn you realize that he was camped under EVERY fly ball. How many doubles were ever hit for CF all those years? I remember only one. Also- two HRS in a World Series game at Yankee Stadium? Yes he did. Hmmm… wasn’t he also a teenager? First since Ott?
If you are arguably the best defensive anything for a decade you Der serve a place. Let alone a super premium position like CF.
Had he come up at 23 and played until 35 he would be in without question. He came up at 18 and was done at 30 and is being penalized for it. Mss as king the majors as a teen is legendary in its own right.
I remember dropping him in 07 from my fantasy team he was so bad.
Looking at it through the Keltner list, I have a few doubts about his candidacy - the first of which is, if we're going to put a star outfielder for the Atlanta Braves in the HOF, we should be starting with Dale Murphy. As for Andruw - Hate to say it, but there's a pretty strong argument that he wasn't even the best player with the last name Jones on the Braves.
Both chipper and Andruw are all time greats in their own right. Chipper as one of the best switch hitters of all time, Andruw as one of the best fielders of all time. They both deserve the HoF.
Greg Maddox always said of Andruw Jones, "He shaves a run off my ERA every year." Enough said.
I never thought I was watching a HoFer when I was watching him play.
Ah Andruw Jones, one of my favorite all-time Braves. Was a bit overshadowed by Chipper though!
Wow, Andruw Jones Jr. looks and sounds like such a humble kid.
I remember when the Braves had Andruw Jones, Chipper Jones, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavin they were consistently at the top of the N.L
They aren't comparable. Pujols regressed in Anaheim, however he never embarrassed himself like Jones did. I suspect Pujols was older than actually reported when he started in 2001. His regression was not surprising. It's too bad he didn't finish his career in St. Louis.
Jones will make the Hall in a year or two.
After Jones turned 30, he either decided that he didn't care very much or else he had the steepest decline I've ever seen. Good thing for him that his counting stats still add up pretty nicely.