Andruw Jones, John Schuerholz set to join Braves Hall of Fame
The Braves Hall of Fame continues to grow.
Former outfielder Andruw Jones and team president John Schuerholz are the latest pieces of the Atlanta Braves' historic run of division titles to earn one of the franchise's highest honors. The two will be officially inducted on Aug. 19 and recognized with a pregame ceremony before the Braves take on the Washington Nationals.
Jones, who is working as a special instructor for the Braves this spring training, will officially retire as one of the greatest defensive outfielders in MLB history.
After debuting with Atlanta as a 19-year-old phenom, he spent 12 years with the Braves, making five All-Star teams and winning 10 consecutive Gold Gloves. (Only Roberto Clemente and Willie Mays claim more career Gold Gloves among MLB outfielders.) He hit .263/.342/.497 with 368 home runs over that stretch.
"He was a complete player," Schuerholz said of Jones. "He played defense great. He saved a lot of runs for those pitchers, and they're the first to admit that. And then you see him on the basepaths, if he didn't hit a home run he could steal a base. He could go from first to home easily. He had all the skills, and he worked hard at making them better throughout his career."
From 1996 to 2007, only three players posted more wins above replacement than Jones: Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Chipper Jones.
Schuerholz is entering his 26th season at the helm — and it's been one of the most decorated runs in baseball over the past three decades. On his watch, starting before the 1991 season, the franchise won 14 consecutive division titles and made five World Series appearances.
The 1995 championship made Schuerholz, who also helped build the 1985 Royals, the first general manager to win a World Series in both the American and National leagues.
Braves Chairman and CEO Terry McGuirk described him as the "greatest general manager of all-time, at least in my book."
It's an appropriate combination for a collective induction, as Jones was one of Schuerholz's biggest coups during the early-90s. While Schuerholz inherited the likes of Chipper Jones, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz from Bobby Cox's time in the front office, Jones was a necessary building block. The two met when the Curacao native was just 15 years old (officially signing as an amatuer free agent at 16), and he quickly rocketed up through the Braves farm system to lend a helping hand to one of the top pitching staffs ever assembled.
"(John) believed in me since he saw me the first time," Jones said. "I'm very happy that he gave me the opportunity to chase my dream."
Jones and Schuerholz become the 29th and 30th members of the Braves Hall of Fame, joining the likes of past players Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn, Eddie Mathews, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Chipper Jones and Dale Murphy, manager Bobby Cox and broadcasters Pete Van Wieren, Skip Caray and Ernie Johnson.
