House That Hank Built
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Atlanta Braves top 10 franchise outfielders- number 2: Andruw Jones

By Fred Owens

ATLANTA - OCTOBER 22: Andruw Jones #25 of the Atlanta Braves bats during Game three of the 1996 World Series against the New York Yankees at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium on October 22, 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Yankees defeated the Braves 5-2. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
ATLANTA - OCTOBER 22: Andruw Jones #25 of the Atlanta Braves bats during Game three of the 1996 World Series against the New York Yankees at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium on October 22, 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Yankees defeated the Braves 5-2. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /
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23 Apr 1997: Andruw Jones of the Atlanta Braves stands in the batter’s box during a game against the San Francisco Giants. Mandatory Credit: Otto Greule Jr. /Allsport /

Atlanta Braves Curaçao Kid  arrives

BA OBP SLG OPS AVG+ OBP+ SLG+ wRC+ wOBA WAR fWAR
.263 .342 .497 .839 97 100 114 114 .357 61.1 64.3

On August 15, Jones started in right field, batting second behind center fielder Marquis Grissom and ahead of Atlanta Braves shortstop, Chipper Jones. Curt Schilling handled Andruw easily in his first three at-bats, but Jones got his first big league hit in the top of the ninth, an RBI single to right off Phillies reliever Toby Borland.

Jones split his 31 games with Atlanta flanking Grissom in either left or right field. He hit five homers, seven doubles, and a triple, but generally found Major League pitching harder to handle than any he’d faced on the minors.

He played only as a defensive replacement in the NLDS and started only two games of the NLCS, but manager Bobby Cox started him in game one of the World Series. He hit a two-run homer on the second pitch he saw off Andy Pettitte in the second inning and took Yankee reliever Brian Boehringer deep with two men on in the third.

His two-homer game made Jones the youngest player to homer in the World Series at the age of 19 years, 180 days. Coincidentally, the record’s previous owner, was Yankee legend Mickey Mantle, and Jones broke the record on Mantle’s 65th birthday.

After going hitless in games two and three, he went five for eight in the final three games and finished the series 8-20.

Atlanta loves Andruw

Baseball America kept Jones on top of their prospect list for 1997, and he broke camp with Atlanta to start the season. His World Series exploits made Andruw a household name, but his struggles at the plate made the Atlanta Braves wary of making him an everyday player.

Over the winter, the Braves traded the aging Marquis Grissom and David Justice to Cleveland for Kenny Lofton and Alan Embree. The season started with Ryan Klesko and Michael Tucker flanking Lofton in left and right.

Through the first 90 games of the season, Jones managed only 144 PA, but looked better at the plate, batting .270/.364/.434/.799 and hitting four homers.

On June 16, Jones began a streak where he started 48 of 49 games and batted .237/.337/.451/.788. He played center in 35 games in that span after a Lofton suffered a groin injury.

Jones finished the season batting .231/.329/.416/.745, and fifth in NL Rookie of the Year voting.

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