Andruw Jones is headed to Cooperstown

The fact that it took this long is a bit ridiculous. Sure, Andruw Jones didn’t have the lengthy career that many Hall of Famers can hang their hat on. By the time he finished with the Braves in 2007, at just 30 years old, his career was essentially over from a value perspective.

However, Jones reached the majors in 1996 at just 19 years old and wasted no time taking the league by storm. Over a ten-year stretch from 1998–2007, he ranked third in Major League Baseball in WAR, trailing only Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez. Given that both of those players were popped for steroids, an argument can be made that Jones was the most valuable player in baseball who wasn’t cheating.

To further simplify Jones’ Hall of Fame case, he’s widely regarded as the greatest defensive center fielder of all time. He won 10 straight Gold Glove Awards and finished his career with 24.3 defensive WAR, the most ever at his position. Anytime someone is quite literally the best at an aspect of the game, they belong in Cooperstown. Period.

Oh, and he also hit 434 home runs.

Jones is part of an elite group — one of just four players to hit 400 home runs and win 10 Gold Gloves. Until now, he was the only one not in the Hall of Fame.

That will change soon. Congratulations to Andruw Jones on a long-overdue accomplishment!