Andruw Jones

Did You Know?

• At age 11, Jones was on a youth select baseball team that traveled to Japan to play in a tournament.
• He was named manager of the Netherlands national team for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Professional career

Jones signed with the Atlanta Braves organization as a free agent in 1993 at age 16. After 27 games with the Gulf Coast League Braves, he was promoted to Danville of the Appalachian League. Playing for Class-A Macon in 1995, he hit a home run in his first at-bat and finished the season with 25 home runs, 100 RBIs, and 56 steals, leading the South Atlantic League in stolen bases. USA Today and Baseball America named him minor league player of the year. The Braves brought him to Atlanta on August 15, 1996, at age 19. In his first major league game, he went 1-for-5 with an RBI and a run. In his second game, he had a home run and a triple. He recorded his first multi-homer game against the Reds on August 22. Playing right field because Marquis Grissom was the center fielder, Jones finished the regular season batting .217 with five home runs and 13 RBIs. In the National League Championship Series against the Cardinals, he batted .222 with a home run and three RBIs. The Braves advanced to the World Series. In Game 1 of the 1996 World Series on October 20, Jones hit two home runs in his first two at-bats as the Braves defeated the New York Yankees 12–1. At 19 years, 180 days, he became the youngest player ever to homer in the World Series, breaking Mickey Mantle's record. He joined Gene Tenace as the only other player to hit home runs in his first two World Series at-bats.

Career summary

Jones ended his career with a .254/.337/.486 slash line, 434 home runs, and 1,289 RBIs. His home run total was tied for 40th on the all-time list when he retired. He batted .300 or better only once (.303 in 2000) and hit .214 in his final six seasons. Early in his career, Jones stole 20 or more bases from 1997 to 2000, but his speed declined as he hit for more power; he never stole 10 bases after 2001, partly due to weight gain. In 2005, when he hit 51 home runs, he owned the lowest batting average (.263), slugging percentage (.575), on-base percentage (.347), and runs scored (95) for a 50-homer season at the time. From 1998 to 2007, Jones won 10 consecutive Gold Gloves, tying him for third among outfielders with Al Kaline, Ichiro Suzuki, and Ken Griffey Jr., behind Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente. He is one of five center fielders to record at least 400 putouts in a season six times, alongside Mays, Richie Ashburn, Kirby Puckett, and Max Carey. Fangraphs ranked Jones as the most valuable defensive outfielder in baseball history.

Personal life

In July 2001, Jones testified in the federal trial of Steve Kaplan, an Atlanta club owner charged with facilitating prostitution. Jones stated he was a regular at the club and that Kaplan arranged a limousine to bring him to a hotel where he had sex with a group of people; he made no payment because Kaplan told him it was a party. Jones married Nicole Derick, and they have a son and a daughter. Their son Druw was selected second overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2022 MLB draft. On December 25, 2012, Jones was arrested for battery after a domestic disturbance call in Duluth, Georgia. A police report alleged he put his hands around his wife's neck and threatened to kill her. He was released on $2,400 bond. Nicole Jones filed for divorce in early January 2013 but later withdrew the action; the couple attempted to reconcile. Jones pleaded guilty, paid a fine, and was placed on probation. Jones and his wife supported Jaden's Ladder, a nonprofit assisting survivors of domestic violence.

Awards and accomplishments

Jones received the Minor League Player of the Year Award in 1995 and 1996. He was the youngest player in the National League in 1996 and 1997. He won 10 consecutive NL Gold Glove Awards from 1998 to 2007. He was a five-time All-Star (2000, 2002–03, 2005–06) and won the inaugural National League All-Star Final Vote in 2002. In 2005, he led the majors with 51 home runs and the NL with 128 RBIs, earning the NL Silver Slugger Award and the NL Hank Aaron Award. He was named Major League Player of the Year by the MLB Players Association in 2005. Jones received a Fielding Bible Award at center field in 2007. His uniform number 25 was retired by the Atlanta Braves on September 9, 2023. On Hall of Fame balloting, his vote share rose from 7.3% in 2018 to 66.2% in 2025. In 2026, his ninth year of eligibility, he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame with 78.4% of the vote, becoming the first Curaçaoan player inducted.