The 2018 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot is
loaded with a plethora of talented players. Some may seem like more sure things
than others, while there are other cases that are certain to inspire furious
debate. Continuing a series, we’re exploring some of these non-locks who are
making their first appearance on the ballot and dissect their cases piece by
piece. Let’s continue with center fielder Andruw
Jones.
Jones was just 19 when he burst on to the national stage as
a 19-year-old in 1996 with the Atlanta Braves, hitting three post-season home runs
and playing spectacular defense. He followed that up with a decade run as
perhaps the best pound-for-pound defensive player in the game, while averaging
.268, 34 home runs and 101 RBIs per season.
One must go back to his defense, particularly during the
first decade of his career. Breathtaking, immortal and legendary are all words
that aptly describe his abilities in the field without the fear of being too
generous in the description. Based on metrics and the “eye test” he is a solid
candidate when it comes to discussing the all-time greats. In fact, his 24.1
career dWAR is the best ever by an outfielder.
Jones peaked in 2005 with the Braves, slugging a league-leading
51 home runs and 128 RBIs to go along with a .263 batting average and his
other-worldly glove work. He won a Gold Glove and finished second in MVP voting
to Albert
Pujols.
Through his age 30 season Jones appeared to be a superior
candidate for the Hall. Then his career went off the rails. He played only five
more years, for four different teams. His production dropped so significantly
that he was only a part-time player during that time, providing below average
production; even seeing his defense take a significant tumble—at least
according to advanced metrics.
Overall, Jones ended up playing 17 major league seasons,
hitting .254 with 434 home runs, 1,289 RBIS and 152 stolen bases. He had 1,933
hits and 1,204 runs scored. His 62.8 bWAR puts him in the same range as Hall of
Fame outfielders Billy
Williams (63.6) and Dave Winfield
(63.8).
Although he never won a World Series, he played in an
impressive 11 post seasons, hitting a combined .273 with 10 home runs and 34
RBIs in 76 games. He made five All Star Games and won 10 Gold Gloves, giving
him a pleasingly cluttered mantel.
Other than being 47th all time in home runs and
105th in position player bWAR, he doesn’t have any stand-out stats
offensively. Defensively is another story. He’s second in Total Zone Runs (1st
as a center fielder); 25th in putouts; 34th in assists.
Essentially, the advanced statistics back up his legend as a defender.
It would seem to be that placing Jones in the Hall based on
his offensive numbers would be a non-starter. He had could handle a bat, but
nothing that would make him a slam dunk. However, his defense was so world-class
that largely whatever else he did in a game was gravy.
Shortstop Ozzie Smith,
who played a more demanding position in the field, was a deserving first-ballot
selection in 2002. The Wizard of Oz was transcendent with the glove and at his
best was merely competent with his bat. It is okay to have players enshrined
for their excellence on one side of the ball. Jones not only matches Smith in
defensive impact, he also did quite a bit more offensively.
The true challenge to Jones’ candidacy was the shortness of
his peak. He was done as an average player, let alone a stellar player, by the
time he was 30. However, since he debuted at such a precocious age, he was able
to produce a decade of outstanding play, which is a pretty nice run.
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