Andruw Jones hits three HRs, and I say, “Big deal”
The third of his three home runs Wednesday night had scarcely cleared the fence in Anaheim when the cry went up three time zones away: “See? I told you the Braves should’ve re-signed Andruw Jones!”
Let the record reflect that Mr. Bradley never once said, or thought, as much. Yes, he’s hitting now. But, were I Frank Wren, I wouldn’t have taken him over the winter. Andruw Jones had already disappointed this organization enough. And not just this organization.
He hit .222 with more strikeouts than hits as a Brave in 2007, the year his contract expired. Then, after Scott Boras inexplicably got the Dodgers to pony up $36 million over two seasons, he hit .158 with twice as many strikeouts as hits and was summarily released. What in any of that made us think he had anything left? What tangible reason did the Braves have to re-sign him beyond sentiment?
We just saw with Tom Glavine the peril inherent in sentimental sporting journeys. The Dodgers could cut Andruw Jones and not have it become a civic talking point because he was just another free agent who’d bombed. Here he’ll always be Andruw Jones, hitter of two homers in Game 1 of the 1996 World Series and the peerless patrolman in center field, the guy we alternately cheered and cussed for more than a decade. Here he’d have been an outsize presence, same as Glavine was.
Loading ...In hindsight, the 2009 Braves could have used an outfielder capable of hitting 14 homers and driving in 34 runs. We had, however, no reason to believe Andruw Jones would be that outfielder. But half those homers and RBIs have come in his past 10 games, which means he didn’t hit the ground running as a Ranger, either, and Jones is still only hitting .250, with just as many strikeouts as hits.)
He has gotten a fresh start with Texas, and good for him, but nothing about bringing AJ back to the A-T-L would have been fresh. It would have been just another stale idea, another Farewell Tour, another agonizing goodbye just waiting to be pronounced. The Braves could use an outfielder, but they didn’t need the angst this outfielder would have brought.
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209 comments Add your comment
Steve
July 9th, 2009
3:05 pm
“the guy we alternately cheered and cussed for more than a decade”…. Does that make him the Josh Smith of the Braves?
Chief Nock A Homa
July 9th, 2009
3:16 pm
I’m of the opinion that it’s about being in the right place at the right time, as well as being a good athlete, that helps an athlete come back and/or perform better….
If Andruw had come back to the Braves, it might have very well been another disaster season for him…
Chop Chop
July 9th, 2009
3:17 pm
Well, the Braves couldn’t take a chance on Andruw being finished. That’s why he wasn’t brought back. Now that it appears he isn’t finished (the strikeouts don’t mean much to me…the Braves have plenty of people in the lineup who don’t strike out much), it’s easy to go back and wonder about what might have been. I’m glad to see the guy doing well for an up-and-coming ballclub. Maybe he can impart some wisdom from all those winning years with the Braves? Maybe he can be a bit of a leader? We forget about how good Andruw was for us. We assume that he was just a lazy bum who got by on talent. Hell, I read an article earlier this season where he even admitted as much. Last year’s debacle seemed to drive home the point that Bobby’s beloved Andy needed to get his act together. Some guys have to hit rock bottom, you know?
Anyway, by the time his career ends, Andruw Jones may very well find himself inducted into the Hall of Fame. He’ll go in as a Brave, so we’ll just have to boo him and call him lazy while he’s giving his speech in Cooperstown.
Trainwreck
July 9th, 2009
3:20 pm
Well I’m happy for him anyway… I hoped he would do well in Texas
rlinaug
July 9th, 2009
3:21 pm
again, nicely done.
Mrs. Chanandler Bong
July 9th, 2009
3:30 pm
Good article, MB. I find it similar to what may/may not happen if Frenchy leaves and finds success elsewhere. All the people screaming for his demise will then be complaining about the front office letting him go.
chris
July 9th, 2009
3:31 pm
Hi Mark,
I agree. But are you saying that we didn’t need or that we didn’t need him and still don’t need him? Just curious what your thoughts are as far as going after him now.
Chris from MD
The ghost of Moose Granger
July 9th, 2009
3:31 pm
Andruw is doing better in Texas because he’s listening to his coaches. He was humbled when nobody, not even the Braves, wanted to offer him more than a minor league deal. If the Braves had welcomed him back he would still be taking giant windmill swings on pitches outside the zone and falling flat on his rump like before. He started out the season as the fourth outfielder and had to work his way into the lineup. How about that? An incentive to do better? When did he ever have that in Atlanta?
Don’t fool yourselves, second-guessers. The Andruw that’s playing well in Texas is not the same Andruw as we would have seen in Atlanta. Rudy Jaramillo may be the best hitting coach in the game, but he doesn’t work here.
Texas_Dawg
July 9th, 2009
3:35 pm
Mark,
You forgot to mention that that .250 is actually .250/.348/.581. How many current Braves outfielders have +.900 OPS?
You should have just stuck to the reasons it would have been a risky move to sign him. Trying to spin his stats as some you wouldn’t want in the Braves outfield is just silly though.
Hillbilly Deluxe
July 9th, 2009
3:35 pm
Good for Andruw that he’s having a decent year so far but I wouldn’t have signed him either.
Dawgs and Braves
July 9th, 2009
3:36 pm
If you look at Andruw’s swing now, it is nothing like it was the past 2 seasons. He cut way down on his stride to minimize his head movement. Credit Rudy Jaramillo the Rangers hitting coach with that. If only we had a hitting coach that could improve players swings. TP should have been fired a year ago.
Steve
July 9th, 2009
3:38 pm
Andruw is only batting .250. However, he has on On-base % of .348 (not bad for a slugger with a low batting avg.). He also has a slugging % of .581 (higher than anyone on the Braves and a Offensive Production % of .929 (also higher than anyone on the Braves). When you see his 14 homers and 34 RBIs, remember that he has only had 160 at-bats. Chipper leads our team with 9 homers (in 250 ABs).
I wanted the Braves to resign him during the off season. We could have gotten him for next to nothing with a lot of incentives in the contract. I guarantee that Bobby Cox and Frank Wren wishes that somebody on the Braves roster currently had those numbers.
bushwacker
July 9th, 2009
3:45 pm
Don’t blame Andrew for losing it while in ATL.
What we are finding out here is the Braves have no real coaches who actuallly work with the players and make them better.
Bobby does a good job managing a game, but he does not actually work with the guys, when you get to Atlanta you are exepcted to know how to play, the coaching stops at the minor leagues.
The same coaches and mgmt that now call Matt Diaz a dangrous hitter because he will swing at anything in the “area code” are the same ones who blasted Francouer early in his career when he was tearing the cover off the ball for not taking enough pitches, THEY HAVE RUINED JEFF FRANCOUER, you see it every at bat,he’s waitng to see if its a strike before he swings instead of just reacting to the pitch.
Who cares if he never walks and swings at pitches out of the zone if he’s hitting 28 with 30 and 100 which is what he did in the beginning.
Our coaching staff is incompetent and useless!
Bank Walker, Texas Ranger
July 9th, 2009
3:45 pm
Good stuff Mark, it simple, he has good coaching in Texas. If he were here he would be released already. Everybody in Texas hits .250-.290 with 25+ homers.
Andruw Jones is God
July 9th, 2009
3:46 pm
Good for him. He wouldn’t have done this with Atl. Hope he comes back all the way and makes the HOF, like I was thinking he would a few years back.
Just be glad he’s not doing it for the Mets.
Frenchy
July 9th, 2009
3:47 pm
Good calls guys, now if only I could get traded to Texas, Rudy J. could fix my mucked up swing, I’ll swing at anything if its close, you know I love the first pitch, TP cant help me & I need a fresh start, go ahead & send me to Texas please so I can rake again, PUUULEASE
brewdawg
July 9th, 2009
3:49 pm
Will we see a similar resurgence in Jeff Francouer once he inevitably moves on after or during this year?
Bank Walker, Texas Ranger
July 9th, 2009
3:50 pm
Compare Andruw’s numbers with….oh i don’t know Ian Kinsler. IK is batting .251 with 20 HR’s in 330 at bats. Andruw .250, 15 HR’s in 160 AB’s Sounds like an all star to me, not God but an all star.
Bama Aaron
July 9th, 2009
3:51 pm
I was a little disappointed he didn’t take the minor league offer in the off-season and try to prove himself. But in the long run I don’t think he’s being doing that well in ATL. He finally humbled himself enough to listen to their hitting coach and I don’t think that would have happened here. Best of luck to him and let’s move on to finding someone else who can help us.
Mark Bradley
July 9th, 2009
3:52 pm
I just don’t have any faith that Andruw can sustain anything, Chris. OK, one lousy year can be an aberration, but one lousy year followed by a second (even worse) season? I’d call that a trend.
Of course, if he winds up hitting 25 homers with 70 RBI this season, I might call that trending upward. I’m flexible that way. But no, I don’t see Andruw Jones as any long-term answer for the Braves.
x fan
July 9th, 2009
3:54 pm
and who’s next? Hopefully it will be …… Jeff “Rally Killer” Francouer.
I am sick of seeing this Jones prototype.
let em go!
Steve Brown
July 9th, 2009
3:56 pm
Of course you would give up on Andruw, but never Chipper, Frenchy, Kelly Johnson, Bennett, Carlyle, etc. Atlanta Braves have a subconscious (benefit of the doubt) redneck bias. Since someone else mentioned Josh Smith, what makes anyone think he is a winner.
kirkinga
July 9th, 2009
3:59 pm
So we can second guess everything from not signing Smoltz, to the Texeria trade, but we can’t second guess not signing Andruw this offseason? What a load of b.s.! Of course we can second guess because he’s playing better and because our OF still leaves something to be desired.
I’m glad to see Andruw doing well for himself. I thought he would be a low risk sign for them this offseason. I still would like to see him back. I hate the strikeouts too, but none of the guys who have played CF for us this season are as good as Andruw even though they are younger. McClouth doesn’t have his arm, nor can he come in on balls as good.
No real Braves fan remembers just the bad about Andruw or pretends all he was was his last two seasons here. Real fans know better.
Timbo
July 9th, 2009
4:00 pm
Wish he was back here . . . better than what we have!
GoDruw
July 9th, 2009
4:01 pm
“But half those homers and RBIs have come in his past 10 games, which means he didn’t hit the ground running as a Ranger, either, and Jones is still only hitting .250, with just as many strikeouts as hits.)”
Not exactly true. Andruw literally hit the ground running starting the year off. He batted like .400 for the month of April. He slumped with the rest of the rangers during may and june and is starting to pick back up along with the others. But I agree with the Braves decision. Who knew.
Herschel Talker
July 9th, 2009
4:02 pm
Andruw Jones is fat. And he likes men.
All I'm Saying Is...
July 9th, 2009
4:05 pm
Andruw hits three homers and while I’m happy for Andruw cause I thought he was and is a nice person, I otherwise can only elicit a big ole yawn because, despite the putrid state of RF and an aging wonder in LF, I’d still rather have our outfield without Andruw than to have him on the squad. GO BRAVES!
MWGT1990
July 9th, 2009
4:06 pm
Glad to see his swing is coming back…best wishes to Andruw. Regardless of whether he’s a Brave or not, he gave us some great years and stories. How easily we forget and turn on folks. I hope he does well and stays in the AL
He started it...(again)
July 9th, 2009
4:06 pm
Of course you would give up on Andruw, but never Chipper, Frenchy, Kelly Johnson, Bennett, Carlyle, etc. Atlanta Braves have a subconscious (benefit of the doubt) redneck bias
You forgot to add Escobar too. They’re ready to give up on him too! They can keep the Keith Lockhart’s around forever, but not the Andrews, Yunels, or Wille Harrises. But that Matt Diaz sure will get that uniform dirty want he! ::rolls eyes::
Mark Bradley
July 9th, 2009
4:08 pm
Oh, I’d give up on Jeff Bennett. But never on Josh Smith.
Javy Vazquez/Lopez
July 9th, 2009
4:09 pm
Right on BW Texas Ranger, if we had Andruw could you imagine the screaming if we had Frenchy & Andruw in the outfield, both leading the league in strikeouts under the watchful eye of TP. He would not be the same Andruw youre seeing in Texas, just ask him & Frenchy, Francouer is hoping he gets traded to Texas next! Theyre in 1st place with no pitching, but they can score some runs unlike da Bravos! We wont win any in Colorado with 2-1 scores trust me, better step up the bats.
Tbone
July 9th, 2009
4:10 pm
Uh….Chop Chop…., surely you are not serious about Andrew going into the hall of fame. Compare his numbers to Dale Murphy’s….who ain’t gettin in. Andrew was good in his day…..but no HOFer.
GoDruw
July 9th, 2009
4:10 pm
I’d swap GA and JF for AJ any day.
coach smith
July 9th, 2009
4:11 pm
Mark Bradley
You are so far off on this
How exactly has Andruw “disappointed this organization”
Is 10 straight gold gloves and nearly 400 HRs a dissapointment?
What about when he kicked Boras to the curb and took less money to stay with the Braves? Was that a disappointment?
And you also said “one lousy year follwed by another”
In 2007 Andruw hit 26 HRs and had 94 RBIs…is that LOUSY?
because I am confused by your definition of lousy since you turn right around and say *”Of course, if he winds up hitting 25 homers with 70 RBI this season, I might call that trending upward.”*
well lets see, in his WORST year (one you call lousy) here in at Atlanta, he hit 26 hrs and drove in 94
if that is lousy I’ll take it….I just don’t see how anybody can say he disappointed this organization by being one of the best fielding and power hitting CF in the history of the game!
Stat Man
July 9th, 2009
4:12 pm
We had just as much reason to think Andruw could be productive as Glavine.
Looks like we went 0 for 2.
coach smith
July 9th, 2009
4:13 pm
don’t forget MB….AJ has those 14 hrs in ONLY 46 GAMES!!!!
no Brave even has 10…in 80+
Ken Stallings
July 9th, 2009
4:15 pm
Andruw isn’t just listening to good hitting advice. More importantly, he got himself in better physical condition. He’s lost about 20 pounds of fat and that makes him better all around.
I’m glad he finally wised up. If he had done that in Atlanta in 2007, he’d still be playing here.
coach smith
July 9th, 2009
4:16 pm
Tbone
sorry but AJ is most likely going to the Hall of Fame
he not only hit all those HRs but won an unprecedented 10 straight gold glove and was widely regarded as one of the best ever in CF on a team that constantly WON….
that matters and it is Murphy’s fielding and being on bad teams that kept him out
AJ is likely to cross the 500 hr mark if he plays long enough (only 32) with NO accusation of STERIODS in the steriod era
that will get him in
RTN-Norcross
July 9th, 2009
4:16 pm
The coaching staff has ruined Frenchy hitting prowness just like they did to a young talent like Ruben Gotay who they expected to tear the cover off the ball without giving him a decent chance, then letting him go.
Jack Hass
July 9th, 2009
4:18 pm
Andruw hit 26 HR and had 94 RBIs in his supposedly “down” last season with the Braves. Sure, he hit .222…but…
Dave Kingman AVERAGED .234 for his 16 year career, 5 times in a season with 300 or more ABs he hit less than .222, and yet he has received serious consideration for the HOF. He only hit 57 more HRs than Andruw, and in 2.5 more seasons.
And only 3 times did he hit more RBIs than Andruw did the year the Braves decided he wasn’t worth keeping.
What kills me is that the Braves gave up on a guy pushing 400 HRs because of that ONE season.
GoDruw
July 9th, 2009
4:18 pm
I don’t know if AJ will make the hof but assuming he plays 5 more years, he will way surpass dale murphy in all offensive categories (he might pass murphy’s 398 hr this year alone).
crackbaby
July 9th, 2009
4:19 pm
MB – why couldn’t you simply write about AJ’s 3 homers and say, “good for him”? Why headline the article with your slant that the Braves should not have signed him in free agency? Very few of us would have thought the Braves should have signed Andrew this season just ’cause he hit 3 homers for Texas the other day. No wonder people call you media types haters.
You’re negative comments are childish and unprofessional. Nothing short of muckraking – which you may regard as a virtue. It would be nice to see AJ contribute to the Rangers improbable playoff run. They both deserve some success.
Please write better columns.
AlabamaBrave
July 9th, 2009
4:20 pm
Anybody have any thoughts about making a play for Jeremy Hermida (sp?) or Cody Ross? Hermida seems affordable.
Stat Man
July 9th, 2009
4:21 pm
coach smith –
you were making a good point right up until you stuck you foot in your mouth about Murphy’s fielding. You’re knocking a man’s fielding skills who won FIVE GOLD GLOVES AS A CONVERTED CATCHER???
Get your facts straight before you go saying ANYTHING negative about one of the greatest Braves ever.
rob
July 9th, 2009
4:21 pm
barely cleared the fence!!! did you see the homers in the paper. two of three could have went out in any park. i think it is funny how some people can get a paycheck by writing some of this stuff. (bisher) where are the articles about francoeur not producing or shafer still with more k’s than hits. the guy is doing fine in texas and really doesn’t care what the ajc has to write about
Kentavo
July 9th, 2009
4:24 pm
I’m with Bradley – Braves never the big one with Andruw on the roster.
Kevin
July 9th, 2009
4:25 pm
What a stupid article. Regardless of what you thought about Andruw, he would have come dirt cheap. There was literally no harm in bringing him back to see if he had anything left. Afterall, he was injured most of 2008. We found that out after the 2008 season.
And “he didn’t hit the ground running as a Ranger either”? Do you even watch baseball. Andruw hit over .344 in the month of April with like 3 homers.
Is it so hard to admit you were wrong and that Andruw is a good player that we could have had for next to nothing?
Terry Pendleton needs a new job
July 9th, 2009
4:25 pm
A lot of uninformed posters here.
Guys, get a clue.
In AJ’s last two years in Atlanta, he hit the following:
2006 .262 41 129
2007 .222 26 94
In 2005 he hit a majestic 51 HRs. Don’t forget another 128 RBIs as well.
Where’s the trend downward? He goes to a new town, new coaches, etc, and has a bad year. I don’t think he’s the first player to sign a fat contract and lose his focus.
We’re going to be very sorry we let Andruw get away.
GoDruw
July 9th, 2009
4:26 pm
The third barely cleared the fence because it was a line drive.
Trey J
July 9th, 2009
4:26 pm
I loved Andruw Jones, but I understood giving him the blues! Andruw isn’t the answer to the Braves Center Field problems.