Andruw Jones is considered by some to be the greatest defensive center fielder in history, but the former Braves slugger barely got enough support in his first year of National Baseball Hall of Fame eligibility to stay on the ballot for future consideration.
> Also: Chipper Jones elected to Hall of Fame
Jones, who won 10 consecutive Gold Gloves with the Braves through 2007 and hit 428 home runs in a 17-year career, was named on just 7.3 percent of ballots cast by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in results announced Wednesday. Candidates must get at least five percent to remain on the ballot and can stay on it for a maximum of 10 years as long as they get at least that many votes.
Braves teammate Chipper Jones easily won election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Wednesday in his first year of eligibility. Both Joneses were cornerstones for the Braves during much of their run of 14 consecutive division titles, and Andruw Jones led the National League in home runs (51) and RBIs (128) in that 2005 season to finish as the NL MVP runner-up to Albert Pujols.
But after hitting .263 with 368 home runs and an .839 OPS in 12 seasons with the Braves through 2007, Jones left as a free agent and hit just .210 with 66 homers and a .740 OPS in 435 games over his final five seasons with the Dodgers, Rangers, White Sox and Yankees.
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