Andruw Jones
photo by Tim Evearitt
Despite hoping for an opportunity in the majors in 2016, former Braves great Andruw Jones is instead likely to announce his retirement from baseball, he told reporters at the Braves FanFest on Saturday.
Jones, 38, has not played in the majors since 2012, when he batted .197/.294/.408 with 14 homers and 34 RBIs with the Yankees. He played two seasons with Rakuten in Japan but was never as dominant at the plate as he was during his heyday with the Braves from 1996 through 2007. He made his MLB debut in Atlanta at age 19.
A five-time All-Star, Jones will finish his 17-season big-league career with a .254/.337/.486 slash line and 434 career homers, tied with Juan Gonzalez for 44th most all time.
While Jones was a force at the plate, he will be remembered as one of the greatest defensive outfielders to play the game.
He won 10 consecutive Gold Gloves and his career defensive WAR of 24.1 ranks 20th all time.
Jones, along with star teammate Chipper Jones, is eligible to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018.