Braves Today

Chipper Jones Sounds Off on Andruw Jones Hall of Fame Snub

The former Atlanta Braves third baseman voiced his displeasure with his ex-teammate, Andruw Jones, failing to make the Baseball Hall of Fame again this year.

Dave Holcomb

Atlanta Braves left fielder Chipper Jones (10) reacts with teammate Andruw Jones (25)
Atlanta Braves left fielder Chipper Jones (10) reacts with teammate Andruw Jones (25) / RVR Photos-Imagn Images
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It's clear that if Chipper Jones had a vote for the Baseball Hall of Fame, his former Atlanta Braves teammate Andruw Jones would have been on his ballot.

Chipper wouldn't be the most unbiased voter if he had the right to cast a ballot. He was teammates with Andruw for more than a decade.

But are the baseball writers who do cast a ballot for the Hall of Fame unbiased anyway? Chipper asked the question on X (formerly Twitter) after the former Braves center fielder failed to reach the 75% vote threshold to make the 2025 class for Cooperstown.

The argument against Andruw Jones' Hall of Fame candidacy seems to be that he was an average player for the final six seasons of his career. His final All-Star season was 2007, and he played through the 2012 campaign.

From 2007-12, Jones couldn't find a permanent home. He played for the Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees.

Jones seems to gaining the momentum necessary to make Cooperstown. He received 66.2% of the vote, which was up from 61.6% last year and 58.1% in 2023. But the wait is antagonizing for Braves Country.

What I find interesting is how his career trajectory followed a similar path as starting pitcher C.C. Sabathia, who not only received enough votes to make the Hall of Fame during his first year on the ballot, but he became just the fifth first-ballot left-handed starter to do so.

Obviously, Sabathia pitched while Jones played center field. But similar to Jones, Sabathia's final seven seasons were quite uneventful. He was arguably below average, as he amassed a 60-59 record with a 4.33 ERA and 1.355 WHIP with 879 strikeouts in 178 games.

During that time, though, Sabathia pitched for the New York Yankees.

Sabathia's best seasons arguably came before he arrived in New York. He made three All-Star teams with the then Cleveland Indians in 2003, 2004 and 2007. He won the American League Cy Young during 2007.

In 2008, he was on another planet after the Milwaukee Brewers acquired him in July. Over 17 starts with Milwaukee, Sabathia went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA and 128 strikeouts in 130.2 innings.

He was, by far, the best pitcher in baseball, averaging about 7.2 innings thrown per start.

Sabathia continued to be great with the Yankees from 2009-11. During that time, he led the American League in wins twice and made two All-Star teams. He earned another All-Star nomination in 2012.

But for the final third of his career, he was, at best, average. Yet, on Tuesday, he joined the club of first-ballot left-handed starters that, before this year, only included Sandy Koufax, Steve Carlton, Tom Glavine and Randy Johnson.

Andruw Jones hit 434 home runs and won 10 Gold Glove awards. That, right there, is enough for my vote (if I had one). He never won the MVP award (again, Sabathia won the Cy Young) but for 11 seasons from 1996-06, Jones averaged 31 home runs, 93 RBI, 87 runs, 28 doubles and 12 steals per year while hitting .267.

What Andruw Jones has working against him, though, is that he didn't finish his career with the Yankees. Well, actually, he did, but you get my point.

Chipper didn't specifically compare Sabathia to his former teammate after the release of the 2025 Hall of Fame vote. But Chipper appeared to allude to the surprise Sabathia made the Hall of Fame during his first year of eligibility.

To be clear, I do believe Sabathia deserves induction. It's just surprising that he didn't have to wait at all while Andruw Jones may only receive enshirement during the final hour.

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Dave Holcomb
DAVE HOLCOMB