Andruw Jones

Infobox MLB player
name=Andruw Jones


caption=Jones with the Dodgers in 2008
width=
position=Center field
team=Los Angeles Dodgers
number=25
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1977|4|23
birthplace=city-state|Willemstad|Curaçao
debutdate=August 15
debutyear=1996
debutteam=Atlanta Braves
statyear=September 20, 2008
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.259
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=371
stat3label=Runs batted in
stat3value=1,131
teams=
*Atlanta Braves (by|1996-by|2007)
*Los Angeles Dodgers (by|2008-present)
awards =
*5x All-Star: (NL: by|2000, by|2002,by|2003,by|2005,by|2006)
*Silver Slugger: (NL: by|2005)
*10x Gold Glove Award winner (NL: by|1998,by|1999 by|2000,by|2001,by|2002,by|2003,by|2004,by|2005,by|2006,by|2007)

Andruw Rudolf Jones (born April 23, 1977 in Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles) is a Major League Baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

During his first two years with the Atlanta Braves, Jones most often appeared as a right fielder. However, since then, he has played exclusively in center field. Aside from mlby|1996, when he appeared in 32 games, Jones appeared in 150 or more games in each year of his career up to mlby|2008, when only appeared in 75 games.

Jones is a noted defensive specialist and has won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award for outfielders every year since mlby|1998.

He has appeared in the All-Star Game five times and he won both the Hank Aaron Award and a Silver Slugger Award for outfielders in mlby|2005. In mlby|2002, he was the inaugural National League All-Star Final Vote winner.

Early professional career

Jones signed with the Atlanta Braves organization as a free agent in by|1993 at the age of 16. By by|1996, he was being hailed as "the next Griffey.Fact|date=August 2008" The Braves brought Jones up to Atlanta on August 15, 1996, when he was just 19 years old. He spent his early time in the majors playing in right field because established center fielders Marquis Grissom and Kenny Lofton were already entrenched in the position.

In Game 1 of the 1996 World Series on October 20, 1996, Jones was able to demonstrate his talents on the national stage. He connected for two home runs to left field on his first two at-bats as the Braves routed the New York Yankees 12-1. Jones became the youngest player ever to homer in the World Series (breaking Mickey Mantle's record - on Mantle's birthday.)

Major league career

Atlanta Braves

Jones became the Braves' everyday right fielder in mlby|1997, but posted a disappointing .231 batting average. In 1998, he moved to center field and had a much more encouraging season. His average improved to .271, he hit 31 homers, and stole 27 bases. He also won his first of ten straight Gold Glove Awards.

Whether he was in the batter's box or gliding under a fly ball to make a casual basket catch, Jones played the game in a very relaxed manner. This temporarily earned him the ire of manager Bobby Cox in June 1998 in an incident in which Cox pulled Jones out of a game because he felt Jones had lazily allowed a single to drop in center field.

Still only 22 years old, Jones had similar numbers in mlby|1999, and though he was a dependable (he played all 162 games that season) and good player, many began to wonder if or when he would live up to the potential that they believed he possessed. He had a mini-breakout season in mlby|2000 with, up to that point, career highs in average (.303), homers (36), and RBI (104). He also earned his first All-Star appearance.

However, in mlby|2001 his average fell and his strikeouts went up. By now, Jones had gained nearly 30 pounds since reaching the majors, greatly diminishing his speed on the basepaths (he would not steal more than 11 bases after 2001). He maintained similar numbers in 2002, but was still playing superb defense. In mlby|2003, with power-hitting Gary Sheffield in the lineup, Jones set a new career high in RBI (116). Unfortunately, he took a step backward in mlby|2004 when he hit fewer than 30 homers and struck out 147 times.

Breakout in 2005

Prior to the 2005 season, Jones increased his workout regimen and, following advice given by Hall of Famer Willie Mays, widened his batting stance. The result was his most productive offensive season ever. Jones hit a major league-leading 51 home runs, surpassing Hank Aaron's and Eddie Mathews' single-season club record. He also led the National League with a career-high 128 RBI. Jones' torrid hitting in the summer, especially while teammate Chipper Jones was out with an injury, helped carry the Braves to their 14th consecutive division championship. He finished just behind St. Louis Cardinals' first baseman Albert Pujols in the 2005 NL MVP vote.

2006

Before the mlby|2006 season, Jones played in the World Baseball Classic for the Netherlands. Jones continued to dominate opposing pitchers in 2006, finishing the season with 41 home runs and 129 RBI. Jones also became more selective at the plate (82 walks, as compared to 64 the prior season), which helped him score 107 runs during 2006, an increase of 12 over the prior year and his most in a single season since 2000. He won his ninth consecutive Gold Glove award.

2007

Coming into the last year of his contract with the Braves, many fans and sports analysts alike felt that 2007 would be the last year in which Jones would be a Brave, mostly because of his potential value on the market that the Braves would not be able to afford. Jones, however, had an unexpectedly poor start to the season, striking out 51 times in 41 games and carrying a batting average in the low .200s for the majority of April and May.

On April 30, Jones hit a three-run walk-off home run against the Philadelphia Phillies. On May 28, Jones hit his 350th career homer off Chris Capuano. After the All-Star break, Jones continued to have productive power numbers; however, his batting average remained poor.

On October 2, the Braves announced they would not be bringing Jones back for the 2008 season.

Los Angeles Dodgers

2008

On December 5, 2007, Jones agreed to a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, worth $36.2 million. [http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071205&content_id=2319266&vkey=hotstove2007&fext=.jsp] He continued to struggle, hitting below .200 for most of the season. Additionally, he had only 10 hits in 116 at-bats with runners in scoring position. Due to his lack of production, Jones was dropped to eighth in the Dodger line-up. This was the first time since 1998 that Jones had hit eighth in any line-up.

On April 19, he hit his first home run as a Dodger, appropriately enough at Turner Field against the Braves.

Jones was put on the disabled list for the first time in his entire career on May 25, 2008. He had knee surgery after batting practice earlier that day.

On July 27, 2008, Dodgers manager Joe Torre benched Jones and said he would only be used as a spot starter in the future, effectively giving up on the season. On the day he was benched Jones had a .166 batting average, two home runs and 12 RBI coupled with 68 strikeouts in 187 at-bats. [http://www.dailynews.com/ci_10028088?source=rss] .

On September 13, 2008, Jones was put on the 60-day disabled list, effectively ending his disappointing season. Jones finished the season with a .158 batting average, three home runs, and 14 RBI. [cite web|url=http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080913&content_id=3468698&vkey=news_la&fext=.jsp&c_id=la|title=Jones placed on DL; Saito activated|last=Gurnick|first=Ken|date=2008-09-13|publisher=MLB.com|accessdate=2008-09-14]

Personal life

He married the former Nicole Derick...the couple have a son, Druw, and he has a daughter, Madison, from a previous relationship. Jones and his family currently live in Duluth, Georgia. He has said that he and his family will continue to live in Duluth in the offseason. [http://jockbio.com/Bios/AJones/AJones_facts.html]

Jones' current car collection, as showcased on MTV Cribs and Unique Whips, includes:
*Aston Martin DB9
*Aston Martin Vanquish
*Bentley Continental GTC
*Range Rover
*Dodge Viper
*Buick Skylark
*Ford Orion
*Mercedes S-Class
*Mercedes McLaren SLR

Career Stats

small|Roll over stat abbreviations for definitions. Stats through September 11, 2008.cite web| url=http://www.baseball-reference.com/j/jonesan01.shtml | title=Andruw Jones Statistics| work=Baseball-Reference| accessdate=2008-09-12]

Awards and Accomplishments

* Won Minor League Player of the Year Award in 1995 and 1996
* Youngest player in the National League in 1996 and 1997
* 10-Time NL Gold Glove Award Winner (1998-2007)
* 5-Time All-Star (2000, 2002-03, 2005-06)
* Inaugural National League All-Star Final Vote winner (2002)
* Led the majors with 51 home runs in 2005
* Holds Braves record for most home runs in a season (2005, with 51)
* Led the National League with 656 at bats in 2000
* Led the National League with 128 RBIs in 2005
* NL Silver Slugger Award in 2005
* NL Hank Aaron Award as the best offensive player in 2005
* NL Player of the Month for June and August 2005
* Major League Player of the Year for 2005

ee also

* 50 home run club
* Top 500 home run hitters of all time
* List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
* List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
* List of Major League Baseball RBI champions
* List of Major League Baseball home run champions
* Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game

References

External links

*

succession box
title = Youngest Player in the
National League
years = 1996-1997
before = Karim Garcia
1995
after = Adrián Beltré
1998
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