Braves Legend Andruw Jones Reflects on Hall of Fame Induction

The celebration of Andruw Jones' induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame continued at Truist Park on Thursday night. The Atlanta Braves' legendary outfielder participated in opening the gates for the fans, and it went on from there.

When the ceremony was taken inside, Jones circled the field waving to fans on the back of a red ferrari convertable. A tribute video played, and his Hall of Fame plaque was on display for all 35,418 in attendance.

"He was one of my favorite teammates," manager Walt Weiss said to the media on Wednesday. "Just - it's always good energy being around Andruw."

That energy was certainly felt that day all around.

The last week will certainly go down as one of the greatest of his life. The long lead up to it arguably made it more special for him.

"When you get that phone call in January, it's a great honor," Jones said when speaking to the media on Wednesday. "It's just a piece that, of the tremendous career that you had, and they honor you. But this weekend, being there with all those greats and all those you grew up watching. Guys that you idolize. Being in the same room as them meant a lot. Very special. Very humbling."

Jones was honest about his hopes for reaching the Hall of Fame when asked. He didn't think it was coming. Waiting until the ninth go-around on the ballot didn't help, but he wasn't counting on it even before that.

"I had no chance in my mind thinking of the Hall of Fame," he said. "I said before I play this game because I love this game. I play this game because I want to win. I play this game because the Atlanta Braves gave me a chance to make baseball my life."

With 10 Gold Gloves to go along with five All-Star appearances and 434 home runs, on paper, he's a logical candidate. But the Hall of Fame doesn't always accept the resume.

When the voiting started to get closer to his favor, he said he originally started to stay nearby and available. After the eighth ballot, he decided he was just going to do his thing.

"If it happen, it happen," Jones said. "If I didn't, you know, I would still be the same Andruw Jones walking around here just hanging with the guys."

Sure enough, he's playing golf with other members of the Hall of Fame in the Dominican Republic when he got the call. He received 78.4% of the vote, clearing the 75% threshold. He, Carlos Beltran and Jeff Kent were locked in as the 2026 induction class.

The honor is immortal. Nobody can take it away from him. For the rest of his life and beyond, he has Hall of Famer before his name.

He wove himself into the fabric of the Braves and the game of baseball. Arobatic catches and early career postseason moments set the stage for a memorable career.

Jones described the feeling of being surrounded by those he idolized and how special it was. Soon, an inductee who idolized him will come. Perhaps that will only heighten this feeling in a new way in the future.

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