Should Braves consider bringing back Andruw Jones?
Andruw Jones hit 19 home runs last season with the White Sox.
Hey look: Andruw Jones is still available and the Braves could use a right-handed bat and an extra outfielder.
OK, all together now: Schultz, you’re an idiot.
Truth is, I’m not pushing for the Braves to sign Jones. But I’m not completely dismissing the idea, either.
Have to admit, I’m only bringing this up because I’ve received a few emails in the last couple of days from readers asking me about Jones, and our resident baseball man David O’Brien tells me he also has been fielding questions from fans.
First, let’s address the negative: Jones will be 34 in April, obviously isn’t the Gold Glove center fielder he used to be with the Braves and often stirs up gale force winds when he’s at the plate.
Now here’s the positive: Playing for the Chicago White Sox last season, his third team in three years, Jones hit 19 home runs in 328 plate appearances. That roughly translates to a 40-home run season as a regular (which he’s not). Jones even walked 45 times, which gave him an on-base percentage of .341 (his best since 2006) and hit .230 (still anemic but better than the previous three years: .222, .158, .214)
The Braves could use a right-handed bat off the bench. For that matter, their outfield still makes me nervous. Martin Prado will be the everyday left fielder, unless Chipper Jones has a setback and can’t start at third. Jason Heyward is in right. Then there’s the great black hole in center: Nate McLouth. Jordan Schafer also will be camp in spring training, hoping to belatedly jump start his career. Eric Hinske and Joe Mather can fill in.
Is that good enough?
There are reports the New York Yankees are interested in Jones. The major league minimum salary is $414,000 next season, though Jones presumably would sign for something in the $750,000 to $1 million range.
There’s nothing to indicate the Braves are interested. The question is whether it’s risky to bring back a player who once was a star in that city and now is in his final days. But if Jones is desperate enough to accept a reduced role, I don’t see that as an issue. It’s something to think about, anyway.
By Jeff Schultz
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272 comments Add your comment
Paddy
January 12th, 2011
7:17 pm
Floyd ……your question about Andruw’s age is mute. MLB has in place now a way to verify age of any National Association player or in the rare case a Major League player without National Association service time. They will not be embarrassed again.
Moonlight Graham
January 12th, 2011
7:20 pm
Larry, “mining his nostrils”, laughed out loud on that one. Well done. And being the Bobby fan you are, for double bonus points, can you name his favorite curse word/expression? Starts with an H.
idot
January 12th, 2011
7:25 pm
Take Andruw Jones back? Heallllll Naw. Is you crazy?
idot
January 12th, 2011
7:34 pm
Someone wrote earlier, that defensively, A Jones would have no peer in CF on this team. Yeah, maybe 10 years ago, if he felt like running after the ball that day.
At the end of his career in Atl., he almost never tried to track down a ball that was hit over his head near the fence, he almost allways played them off of the wall.
rilo
January 12th, 2011
7:39 pm
Yes….you’re going to pay him as a backup who has hit no higher than .230 in the past 4 years. There’s little to no risk. Forget the emotions, it’s still a good deal for a backup. like I said though, you HAVE to pay him backup money.
rilo
January 12th, 2011
7:43 pm
p.s. If Troy Glaus would have played the whole year the way Andruw played with 300+ AB he would still be in ATL
thunderbull56
January 12th, 2011
7:43 pm
He,Furcal,Gant,just never really “GOT IT”.Come on Man! Move on.
5150 P.O.A.D.
January 12th, 2011
7:45 pm
He is Old Fat and Rich. Why do we really need him? I would go with Young hungry poor and in our farm system first.
justin1
January 12th, 2011
8:22 pm
Enter your comments here
justin1
January 12th, 2011
8:26 pm
Bad Idea.
Who didnt love Andruw back in the 90’s and through 2006?
I know I did. But that chapter is over. Why tarnish his great legacy he left with Atlanta as going down as one of the absolute best center fielders to ever play the game?
We know he’s not capable of being an everyday player for us. It would just be shameful to have him sitting on the bench all year as a BACKUP to NATE MCLOUTH!
No way. Let him go to any other team but the Braves, Marlins, Mets, Phillies, Nats, and Yankees.
idot
January 12th, 2011
8:40 pm
I’ll be surprised if any team signs him.
Steve
January 12th, 2011
8:43 pm
Frank Wren surely isn’t that stupid.
Jones represents no ’sure-fire’ upgrade over Nate McLouth. If that isn’t telling enough then what is? The reality is, there were signs that McClouth was pulling it together in September of last year. Let’s also not forget the guy was out for a long time due to a concussion because our glorious RF thought he was too good to be called off for a ball that should have clearly been McLouth’s.
Let’s also not forget that bringing in Jones, who’s upside is limited, could potentially steal at bats from players who ‘might’ have a decent future in front of them.
In other words, would bringing in Jones make enough of a difference this year to make up for sacrificing at bats to possible starters over the next 506 years? The answer to that is an obvious NO. Rick Ankiel I would have said yes to because he still plays solid defense. Andruw Jones won two or three more gold gloves than he deserved as he was a sloth before he left the ATL.
I would much rather give McLouth and Shafer the AB’s and see what happens. MUCH.
Ken
January 12th, 2011
8:50 pm
I would only have him back as the following: 1) He thoroughly passes a physical (2) He maintains a weight limit. If he fails to keep it for one whole week, he is dumped to the minors (3) His salary is set at the minimum. By the ASB…if he exceeds, his salary gets pushed up…he becomes a rotator. 4) if he fails in everything…release him….5) If he succeeds going into possible post-season, give him a one-year extension.
WTH…it wouldn’t hurt!
Steve
January 12th, 2011
8:54 pm
Big B CH 99 … your post on the first page makes more sense to me than anyone else’s here. I don’t want Shafer in Atlanta unless he is starting and playing 4 out of 5 games.
My true thoughts on the year are as follows.
Chipper may or may not be ready. If not, Shafer gets the job in CF with McLouth in LF. Even if Chipper is ready, I hink he will go DL once or twice per usual and our OF will end up that way.
The one problem I have is that if we bring in Jones, then when Chipper gets hurt I see the Braves bringing up Shafer to ride the pine while Andruw gets a shot at starting. Under no circumstances should Andruw Jones be starting at this point in his career. Period.
Oh, and to those saying he is an upgrade defensively over anythign we could put in center .. you need to take off the rose-colored glasses and get over your Andruw Jones love affair. He has not play above average CF for 5 years. His last two season in Atlanta he was average at best. he couldn’t throw anyone out and he couldn’t track down balls landing before the warning track some days. The guy is TERRIBLE on defense now. I would take Eric Hinske over Andruw defensively. Why do you think only AL teams have shown interest the last couple of years (so his largeness could DH ala Jim Thome and Big Papi .. heck even Thome might be better in CF right now than Andruw). McLouth and Shafer are FAR superior in the OF, and McLouth is only average at best for a CF. Shafer is clearly the best defensively of our CF and LF possibilities.
As for him being a right handed bat off the bench, you do NOT want a hitter like him coming off the bench. You want someone who can make contact and drive in runs in late game situations. You do not want someone who should thank the lord every time he makes any contact to speak of.
Justafan
January 12th, 2011
9:00 pm
Jeff why did you start this crap………….Play Young are couple from AAA thats ready..NO RERUNS. Yes I know the Gold Club was closed.
TXDawg
January 12th, 2011
9:03 pm
TedM you sir are ridiculous….Andruw hasn’t seen 210lbs since he was 21.
Whatever the case, I said it last summer and I’ll say it again, bring Andruw back for power from the bench. He knows the organization, was never a disruption, and would be a very serviceable upgrade to what we have on the bench right now. Who knows, we might even get more than we bargain for with him being happy to be back in a Braves uniform.
Ueeediot
January 12th, 2011
9:13 pm
Why wouldnt you bring Shaffer and McLouth to Spring Training all the while telling the baseball world that they are fighting for a starting position. If there are ever any inquiries for a trade, you can always claim one is closer to the starting role than the other and raise his trade value.
Me, personally, I would give them both a full opportunity to make this club…in March and depending on that result maybe even April.
Everyone on this blog will be McLouth’s best friend if he hits 280+ and steals 20+ bases as he is capable.
The real concern is starting pitching.
Exodus
January 12th, 2011
9:19 pm
Completely agree with Steve’s post , Atlanta’s talented farm system will never be used properly if they continue to bring back nostalgic players from the past with questionable work ethic.Jones hasn’t been an elite CF for years , so anybody that considers him an upgrade its just wishful thinking. Hes getting a pass on the last 5 years of his career yet fans are ready to dumb Schafer and McLouth after less than 2 seasons on a team desperate for speed. Really wish FW had retained Diaz so this wouldn’t be an issue and they could concentrate on a back-up SS , would’ve have been the only glaring weakness.
Tomahawk
January 12th, 2011
9:22 pm
Should the Braves bring back Andruw? Well, what’s their biggest need as far as the OF goes? A shut down defensive CF to take over late in the game and preserve a lead. Is Andruw an excellent defensive CF? No. Therefore he doesn’t fit. If he’s cheap, it wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen, but he doesn’t fill one of the few primary needs the team has, so it seems silly to spend what little money they have left on something we don’t have a serious need for.
Long story short, the smart thing to do would be to save what little cash they have left in case they need to scrape some money together mid-season for an acquisition. The in-house guys can probably play a decent enough back-up CF until then.
KC Frenchy
January 12th, 2011
9:27 pm
OK Schultz, you asked for, you got it, youre an IDIOT!!! We need someone with speed, good/ great on defense, & gets on base, NOT a lazy retread strikeout machine, these are the new Bravos, no room on the roster for one of Boobys boys, lets move forward not backward!!! Go Bravos Ugga Ugga
iopbrave
January 12th, 2011
9:28 pm
AJ wherever he lands will hit more dingers this year than any brave outfielder except for a healthy heyward; as a 4th or 5th outfielder he would be an asset- another right handed power bat – we only have one Uggla
Smiling Jack
January 12th, 2011
9:34 pm
There’s really no good reason for the Braves to regress by signing Andruw Jones. This team is moving to the future, not the past. Andruw is the past. He was then, this is now.
LWells2000
January 12th, 2011
10:25 pm
Get Andruw back. At worse he’d be better in CF than the McLouth-Schafer debacle. Stop the bleeding this year before it begins.
benchwarmer
January 12th, 2011
10:41 pm
NOOOOOOOOO!
PaulieOldschool
January 12th, 2011
11:24 pm
Not only no, but HELL NO! He adds nothing and he takes away up to a $1m? What does that do for us, exactly? We had him at his best, which was very, very good. Now he is very, very mediocre. Give the slot (and money) to someone who is not almost 34 and so obviously yesterday’s news.
GLE
January 13th, 2011
1:46 am
When was the last time the Braves started a season with players who were playing positions they were familiar with and was very good at? I was hoping with the new mangement we would quit playing like a bunch of little leaguers plugging warm bodies into positions just so they could have enough warm bodies to field a team and be honest to goodness major league calibur players at every position to play at this “level”. I wish them well but it appears they are putting themselves at a disadvantage before they start. They already have 2 players who don’t play their positions very well.One learning a new position, breaking in one new rookie, and one who is hopefully coming back from a serious injury. And this is before they have to play teams like the Phillies. With unspent money in the bank.
SavannahSeer
January 13th, 2011
6:05 am
OK, let’s look at this objectively, shall we? How many Braves outfielders hit 15+ HR’s last year? (Sounds of crickets at night). How many Braves outfielders do you feel REALLY comfortable about either chasing down flies in the gaps OR throwing out runners at the plate?? (More crickets???)
McLouth has consistently shown that he is not even a good throwing CF, and don’t get me started on his plate performances. McLouth won’t be a Brave by this year’s All-Star Break, you can write it down and file it if you please. If Schaeffer is healthy, I think you go with him, get Andruw as a right handed stick and a back up CF. Platoon Hinske in LF along with a few options the Braves have recently acquired.
And one more thing… Please bring the corner fences in about another 10 feet, but make them taller. Not quite like Philly, but allow some more would-be popup HR’s to go off the wall for a double or two. If we don’t have defensive speed in the gaps, maybe this helps…SOME!!! Whadya say, Jeff???
steve whitmire
January 13th, 2011
6:31 am
absolutely I’d give him a shot, we’re dueling a killer team in the Phillies and another occasional home from a center fielder would be a welcome improvement
Don
January 13th, 2011
8:58 am
No matter how bad the outfield problems are; No matter how bad the outfield poroblems could get — They are not bad enough and cannot get bad enough to even consider bringing back Andruw Jones. His attitude and example is a cancer on a team. This is to take nothing away from his talent. He could have been and should have been one of baseball’s all time greats. It is amazing that he could even hit at all, could even make contact with the ball — the way he severely, severely overswing, started his bat hard rather than putting it in motion and accelerating, tried to pull everything, and had an attitude of seeming not to care very much. He was one of Bobby Cox’s greatest failures — with the proper control and disipline at the outset, he could have been one of the all time greats.
benchwarmer
January 13th, 2011
9:36 am
Why don’t we pretend to be interested in AJ just so the Yankees have to pay more and once again end up with egg on their face for having another old overpaid and washed up ballplayer.
benchwarmer
January 13th, 2011
9:37 am
I only want to smirk at AJ. I never want to see his smirk on our field again except a a failed member of some loser team. That’s the place he will end up, among the losers.
GermanBravesFan
January 13th, 2011
9:43 am
Funny how DON still finds something to blame Bobby Cox for. Dude, let it go!
My opinion: yes, bring Andruw back for one year as back-up outfielder.
GermanBravesFan
January 13th, 2011
9:46 am
of the available veteran free agent outfielders, whom would you try to get (granted salary is not higher than $1.5 million): Andruw, J. Damon, V. Guerrero, J. Edmonds or NONE of the above?
give him a chance
January 13th, 2011
11:06 am
Remember how Andruw told all the other outfielders where to play and when to break? It would be worth a million just to have him on the bench and in the locker room working with our outfielders. And there are plenty of us who could break out our Andruw jerseys.
toby
January 13th, 2011
11:12 am
I would say yes,on the contingency that he completely understands that he WILL NOT be an every day player,he would be a decent right handed bat of the bench and ocassional spot starter against some tugg lefties!
give him a chance
January 13th, 2011
11:12 am
And Don, no. Without Bobby, Andruw could’ve been ego gone amuck. Bobby handled him extremely well. I’ll always be thankful for the thrill of watching Andruw play. I don’t expect that, but I know he has the knowledge still that allowed him to play like that.
broom
January 13th, 2011
12:36 pm
Hell no.
74 Dawg
January 13th, 2011
12:47 pm
He hit 19 home runs in the American League, how many in Chicago? Isn’t that stadium more of a hitters park? Andruw was never a gap hitter, so if you put him in a bigger ball park, a lot of those 19 homers could be long outs. So what you might be getting is a slow over the hill outfielder batting 225. Anyone know how the two ball parks compare in distance to the left field wall?
C'mon Man
January 13th, 2011
1:43 pm
Us Cellular is 5′ shorter in left and left center, and both are 400′ in Centerfield.
TXbravesfan
January 13th, 2011
1:52 pm
Yes! I’d love to see Andruw back in a Braves uniform. It would be great for him to end his carrer in ATL and he still can produce very well off the bench
sfbllump
January 13th, 2011
3:46 pm
invite Andruw to spring training then have the BP pitcher throw breaking balls. If Andruw takes them
up the middle, sign him. We know he kills fast balls.
J.T.Ellenwood
January 13th, 2011
4:04 pm
I just read a article on espn.com where Chipper said Andrum have some holes in his swing. Before Chipper got hurt first part of season no bat speed pitcher throwing fastballs and he could catch up to them. I think that is a bad statement. Andrum hit 19 homeruns on parttime basic if Chipper would have play whole season I don’t think he would have had 19 homeruns.
chem
January 13th, 2011
4:23 pm
Instead of Andruw, why isn’t anyone talking about bringing back Jermaine Dye?
Arkie
January 13th, 2011
5:17 pm
For the right price, WHY not. Andrew was a GREAT all around player, which he is not, now. He would be a better fourth OF and as good of a pitch hitter as most of the bench was last year. Consider it Wren.
Go Braves!!
Bob the Blogger
January 13th, 2011
6:04 pm
Andruw needs to get down to about 210 lbs to prove he’s serious about his career. He can get fat as a pig when he’s 40. For now through, I would give Shafer and Matt Young a chance. They both have fires in their bellies that Andruw no longer has.
kaminari
January 13th, 2011
7:02 pm
Yes.
stew
January 13th, 2011
8:48 pm
I keep reading that Andruw and the Yanks are far apart salarywise. I could be wrong but I don’t think he’s looking for over 2 million. That seems like chump change for the evil;empire. Also, Andy hit 19 homers last year and I think J-Hey hit 17. His last year as a Brave Andy hit 26 and drove in 94 in a down year. How many Braves have put up those type numbers since? He only needs 93 homers to be in the Hall for sure. Braves should sign him. McLoser, Schafer, and Young producing anything near what he would is a pipedream
stew
January 13th, 2011
9:11 pm
I understand the idea that we should get younger not older. But McLoser and Schafer haven’t done anything to further the idea that they are the answer in center. Isn’t Young 28. So Young is not so young. Home runs win games. This crap about speed doesn’t make my soldier stand up and salute. Neither does Andruw, but he’s really better than anything we’ve got.
scottbravesfan
January 14th, 2011
1:22 am
hmmmmmmm,
technically Andruw did not pay for sex at a strip club. The strippers just gave it up for free. The Gold Club was awesome.
scottbravesfan
January 14th, 2011
1:23 am
chem,
The Braves need someone to play center and Dye is a corner outfielder at best now. He might be better as a DH.