From Mays' inspiration to Cooperstown, Jones is at long last a HOFer

ATLANTA -- Andruw Jones’ long wait is over. The great center fielder can now join his many former Braves teammates as immortalized citizens of Cooperstown.

Jones celebrated Tuesday, when he learned he had been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. To reach the necessary 75 percent of the votes for election, he needed to be on 319 of the 425 ballots cast. So, it's safe to say he felt very fortunate to learn he was included on 333 ballots (78.4 percent).

"To be honest, when I was playing I never thought about possibly going to the Hall of Fame," Jones said. "I played the game because I love it. I played the game because I wanted to win. I played the game because I wanted to help my team win."

Jones took the call while in the Dominican Republic with many other former Major Leaguers and a handful of other Hall of Famers competing in a golf event Albert Pujols organized. After beating Jimmy Rollins in a round on Tuesday morning, the legendary Braves outfielder returned to his room and found tears rolling down his face as he thought about how special this day would have been for his father, who passed away in 2016.

"This was way before I even got the call [telling me I'd been elected]," Jones said. "It was just an opportunity to take it in by myself and my emotions came out."

Jones will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 26 in Cooperstown. The induction ceremonies will also honor Carlos Beltrán, who was also elected on Tuesday, and Jeff Kent, who was elected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee in December. The two new electees, born one day apart in April 1977, join Kirby Puckett and Ken Griffey Jr. as the only center fielders to be elected since 1981.

It is something Willie Mays envisioned the day he approached Jones during batting practice and passed the crown by telling the Braves phenom that he was the best center fielder he had ever seen.

"Willie Mays was the greatest center fielder of all time," Jones said. "So for him to tell me that was a great honor. I took it to heart and wanted to be the best at my position."

In gaining election in his ninth year on the ballot, Jones completed an unprecedented rise: The 7.3 percent of the vote he got in his debut on the ballot in 2018 was the lowest of any player to be elected by the BBWAA.

With Jones’ election, the Braves will have another chance to celebrate the most successful stretch in franchise history. The newly elected Hall of Famer was a part of 10 of the 14 consecutive division titles Atlanta won from 1991-2005. His teammates during this span included Hall of Famers Greg Maddux (Class of 2014), Tom Glavine (2014), John Smoltz (2015), Chipper Jones (2018) and Fred McGriff (2023).

Jones will also now be enshrined alongside his former manager Bobby Cox (Class of 2014) and his former Atlanta general manager John Schuerholz (2017).

While Jones’ greatest years occurred with Atlanta from 1996-2007, he also played for the Dodgers (2008), Rangers (2009), White Sox (2010) and Yankees (2011-12).

Jones seemed destined for stardom in 1996, when he homered in his first two career World Series plate appearances. He was a bright-eyed 19-year-old phenom in the second inning of Game 1, when he took Andy Pettitte deep to become the youngest player to homer in a World Series game.

Nearly 30 years later, he remains the only teenager to homer in a World Series game.

But Jones’ grand entrance wasn’t complete. One inning after dinging Pettitte, Jones homered off Brian Boehringer to join the A’s Gene Tenace as the only players to homer in their first two World Series plate appearances.

Jones quickly established himself as an elite defensive player and he helped the Braves get back to the World Series in 1999, when he drew the decisive bases-loaded walk against the Mets’ Kenny Rogers in the NLCS. His greatest season occurred in 2005, when he became the first Braves player to tally 50-plus home runs. The five-time All-Star produced seven 30-homer seasons, with his single-season best being a whopping 51 long balls.

While Jones hit 434 homers, his difference-making skills were displayed on defense.

Jones, Mays, Roberto Clemente, Al Kaline and Ken Griffey Jr. are the only outfielders to be elected to the Hall of Fame after winning at least 10 Gold Glove Awards.

While winning those 10 consecutive Gold Gloves with Atlanta from 1998-2007, Jones ranked third among all MLB players with a 57.6 bWAR, behind only Alex Rodriguez (80) and Barry Bonds (71). Chipper Jones, Todd Helton and Albert Pujols each produced a 54.9 mark during this decade-long stretch.

Jones had a 24.2 defensive WAR from 1998-2007. The next-closest players were Hall of Famers Scott Rolen (15.1) and Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez (13.5).

Yes, there was a steep decline late in Jones’ career. He had just a 95 OPS+ as he played for the Dodgers, Rangers, White Sox and Yankees during his final five seasons (2008-12). That means he wasn’t even an average offensive player (100 OPS+) as he progressed through his early 30s.

But the fact he debuted as a teenager and almost immediately produced a decade’s worth of elite success ultimately couldn’t be ignored.

A player must receive 5 percent of the votes to remain on the Hall of Fame ballot. Jones received 7.3 percent in 2018 and 7.5 percent in 2019. Now, seven years after being nearly removed from the ballot in his first two years of eligibility, he has gained baseball’s greatest honor.