The Atlanta Braves are set to retire Andruw Jones’ No. 25 jersey, and the 10-time Gold Glove winner is projected to return to Truist Park for the ceremony later this year, nine years after his retirement.
The Atlanta Braves plan to retire former five-time All-Star center fielder Andruw Jones’ No. 25 in September.
Jones will be the 11th Braves player in history to have his number retired.
‘It is a great honor to have retired his number. You don’t think about things like that while playing the game. You just play the game you love,” Jones said. “I’m grateful to the Braves for giving me the opportunity to play the game I love.”
Jones will be honored during a pregame celebration on September 9, before the Braves-Pittsburgh game at Truist Park.
Jones, 45, hit .254 with 434 home runs and 1,289 RBIs during his 17-year career, 12 of them with the Braves (1996-2007). The five-time All-Star hit a major league-best 51 home runs in 2005, though he finished second in the NL MVP race that year behind Albert Pujols, despite winning a Silver Slugger and a Hank Aaron Award.
Andruw Jones, 45, played with Atlanta from 1996 until the end of the 2007 season.
Jones made five All-Star teams with the Braves and was known for his defensive displays, showcased by his 10 Gold Gloves.
Jones is also a 10-time Gold Glove winner, making him one of the greatest outfielders in baseball history. He led the league with a defensive bWAR of 26.7 during his 11 seasons in Atlanta.
Jones joins Dale Murphy, Bobby Cox, Chipper Jones, Warren Spahn, John Smoltz, Greg Maddux, Phil Niekro, Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron and Tom Glavine as players whose numbers will be retired by the Braves. He was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame in 2016.
“Andruw Jones is one of the most dynamic and beloved players to ever wear a Braves uniform,” Braves president Terry McGuirk said. “His impact on this organization far outlives his days as a player, and this retirement number is a well-deserved honor.”
Jackie Robinson’s number 42 jersey was retired by all 30 MLB clubs in 1997.
Murphy and Jones are the only two Braves players yet to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Jones has appeared on the ballot since 2018, when he received 7.3 percent of the vote, well below the 75 percent required for election but above the 5 percent minimum required to remain on the ballot.
Jones holds the record for being the youngest player to hit a playoff home run at age 19, during the 1996 World Series (pictured)
The 45-year-old is also only the second player home in his first two World Series at-bats.
His support rose to 33.9 percent as of the 2021 ballot, his fourth appearance. In 2022, she increased to 41.4 percent in her fifth year of eligibility. A player can appear on the ballot a maximum of 10 times.
Jones was initially called up to the majors near the end of the 1996 season. At just 19 years old, he hit a home run in the first two World Series plate appearances of his career, becoming the youngest player to hit a home run in the postseason, and only the second player to hit a home run in his first two World Series at-bats.
“To be the first kid from Curacao to have his jersey retired is also an honor,” Jones said. “So many kids who grew up there watching me play, and it will give them hope for what they can do in their careers.”
Jones also played with the LA Dodgers (2008), Texas Ranger (2009), Chicago White Sox (2010), New York Yankees (2011-2012) and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (2013-14) in Japan.