Andruw Jones to retire, 3 years after final game
Andruw Jones, the five-time All-Star and one of the greatest center fielders in MLB history, says he will soon announce his retirement from baseball.
Speaking to reporters at the Atlanta Braves FanFest on Saturday, the 38-year-old - who hasn't appeared in a major-league game since 2012 as a member of the New York Yankees - said he's decided to end his pursuit of an MLB comeback.
Jones, who slashed just .197/.294/.408 in 94 games that year, spent the following two seasons in Japan - hitting 50 homers in 181 games - and hasn't played competitively since.
The former Braves star established himself as one of the premier players in baseball during his prime, compiling 319 homers and averaging 6.1 WAR with an .860 OPS from 1998-2006. Jones' best season was 2005 when he hit a league-leading 51 homers with 128 RBIs, and a career-best 136 OPS+. The defensively gifted Curacao native won 10 straight Gold Gloves and finished his career with 434 home runs.
Signed by the Braves as an amateur free agent in 1993, Jones spent 12 seasons in Atlanta before making one-year stops with the Dodgers (2008), Rangers (2009), and White Sox (2010), then played his final two seasons in New York.
Jones, whose production was marred by injuries and conditioning during his 30s, will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2018.