Atlanta Braves Legend Andruw Jones Inducted Into Baseball Hall Of Fame

Longtime Atlanta Braves outfielder Andruw Jones, who collected 10 Gold Glove Awards and five All-Star appearances over a 17-year career, is one of three new faces enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Jones, along with fellow center fielder Carlos Beltrán and second baseman Jeff Kent, were inducted into Cooperstown during a ceremony on Sunday.

“There’s no easy way to get here from the small island of Curaçao, more than 2,000 miles away,” Jones said. “But today Cooperstown and Curaçao are forever joined together.”

Jones played for five different teams during his storied career, but spent his best years in Atlanta.

Over 12 seasons for the Braves roaming the outfield for Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox, Jones stood out both with his glove and at the plate, including the 2005 season where he led the league in home runs (51) and runs batted in (128).

Until Braves first baseman Matt Olson accomplished the feat with 54 long balls during the 2023 season, Jones was the only player in franchise history to hit 50 or more home runs in a season.

Jones made his MLB debut during the 1996 season and became the youngest player ever to hit a home run in the postseason, while also becoming just the second player ever to homer in his first two World Series at-bats.

Following his time with the Braves, Jones went on to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees.

He finished his career playing in Japan with Nippon Professional Baseball for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.

Jones also made history over the weekend by becoming the first and only native of Curaçao to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

During his induction speech, he praised his father, Henry Jones, whom he credited with helping him develop into a generational talent in the outfield.

“Everything he taught me had a purpose,” Jones said. “Henry Jones was a legend in Curaçao, a great player in his own right. And I’m not standing here in Cooperstown without his constant coaching. Dad, we did it.”