Former Braves Legend Andruw Jones Likely To Retire Soon

 

Former Braves Legend Anduw Jones Likely To Retire Soon

Former Atlanta Braves outfielder and batter Andruw Jones will probably announce his retirement from baseball very soon, he told reporters at the Braves FanFest on Saturday.

Jones had reportedly been hoping to sign with an MLB team back in November, but now appears to lean toward hanging up his cleats instead. He has not played in the majors since 2012, when he played with the Yankees, for whom he batted .197/.294/.408 with 14 homers and 34 RBIs. He then played two seasons with Rakuten in Japan after that. He was out last season. He made his MLB debut in Atlanta in 1996 at the age of 19, and played with the Braves until 2007. After the 2007 season, Jones left Atlanta and played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Texas Rangers, and the Chicago White Sox before heading to the Bronx for two seasons.

Five-time All-Star Jones will finish his 17-year baseball career with a .254/.337/.486 slash line and 434 career homers, tied with Juan Gonzalez for 44th most of all time.

In addition to his accomplishments as a big-time hitter, Jones will also be remembered as one of the best defensive outfielders (centerfield) in the game, with 10 consecutive Gold Gloves and his career defensive WAR of 24.1, which ranks 20th of all time.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Jay Jaffe, Jones, along with teammate Chipper Jones, will become eligible to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018.

FOX Sports South’s Cory McCartney was one reporter to announce Jones’ upcoming retirement:

 

PHOTO: LOS ANGELES – JULY 3: Andruw Jones #25 of the Atlanta Braves talks with teammates in the dugout before the game with the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 3, 2007 at Dodger Stadiium in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)