The MLB Star Who Physically Couldn’t Miss A Catch

The MLB Star Who Physically Couldn’t Miss A Catch

what if I told you that there was an MLB player who physically couldn’t miss a catch a player so good that he routinely made acrobatic dives incredible over-the-head grabs and catches that seemed impossible to reach yes that player was Andrew Jones who not only managed to win 10 Gold Glove awards and become a five-time all-star but also even hit over 400 home runs so how did he become one of the greatest center fielders of all time despite being labeled as lazy and careless well to find out we first need to go back to 1993 it’s July 1st on the small island of Kurissau and 16-year-old Andrew Jones has just signed with the Atlanta Braves for $46,000 he’s described by scouts as a fivetool player whose best weapon is his speed stealing bases and covering a lot of ground in center field you see Jones had been playing baseball ever since he was 5 years old and these skills would quickly make him the number one prospect in the sport so by the time he was 19 he was already on the verge of achieving his lifelong dream of reaching MLB however there was one small issue given that the Braves were in the hunt for a championship he knew that a spot on the team was not guaranteed and as he put it I’ve got to prove I can help this team win the division and make it to the World Series so with a clear goal in mind Jones was determined to see it through he would make his debut in August of 1996 and in his very first game he picked up his first hit along with an RBI before homering twice in a single game just one week later but it wasn’t until the postseason that he would truly display his insane potential on both sides of the field after sweeping the Dodgers in the first round the Braves would face the Cardinals in the NLCS and when Jones made the starting lineup in game seven he immediately took advantage of the opportunity that night he became the youngest player in history to hit a home run in the postseason and with the Braves easily taking game seven the team was headed to the World Series in a matchup against the reigning champions and Jones only continued to prove himself throughout the series he hit for an insane average of 400 with home runs in his first two at bats during game one and in game three he made an amazing leaping catch at the wall that turned into a double play so even though Atlanta would eventually fall to the Yankees in six games Andrew had exceeded everyone’s expectations and just like that he had gone from a nobody to a fan favorite and an inspiration for young players in Kurissell but still even after his meteoric rise to the spotlight he had yet to earn an everyday spot in the lineup in 1997 Jones was still the youngest player in MLB and unfortunately center field was already occupied by the future six-time all-star Kenny Loftton however despite this Andrew still got a decent amount of playing time off the bench and in right field allowing him to further display his skills so when Loftton ultimately left the team after the season ended Jones was the obvious choice to replace him and this would mark the beginning of a legendary decade for the kid from Kurissau in 1998 Jones took over in center field and was finally able to showcase his defensive prowess because in his first full season he recorded the most put outs and highest defensive war of any outfielder in MLB so by the end of the year Andrew was the easy pick for his first ever gold glove award the first of many throughout his career but before he could truly blossom into an all-star and reach his full potential he first had to learn a difficult lesson earlier that year a seemingly routine fly ball was hit to center field one that Jones would normally catch 100% of the time yet to everyone’s surprise he displayed almost no effort and the ball dropped right in front of him as you can imagine the Braves manager Bobby Cox was furious binging Jones in the middle of the inning and later saying this you’ve got to respect the game he did not try for the ball either go home or play for Jones actual mistakes didn’t come often but this was simply a lack of effort however going forward it appeared that Andrew made it his goal to never let a ball drop ever again but before I continue I want to give a quick thanks to the sponsor of today’s video Arena Club when I was a kid one of my favorite hobbies was collecting baseball cards and looking through my old collection made me miss the feeling of opening packs but now thanks to slap packs from Arena Club I can relive that same excitement whenever I want with slap packs it’s possible to get a card worth tens of thousands of dollars after only spending hundreds or less and what’s great about Arena Club is that they’re completely transparent showing you every card that’s available and their hit rates before you buy anything using Arena Club is a really fun experience and when I opened my first pack I was able to get one of my favorite players Evan Carter but maybe the best part of all is that Arena Club will instantly give you an offer based on the card’s market value that you can accept on the spot so whether you’re buying selling trading or displaying Arena Club makes collecting cards safe easy and fun right now you can get 20% off your first slab pack or card purchase by going to arenaclub.com/a and using code average in 1999 he recorded the highest range factor of any outfielder meaning that he was covering an insane amount of ground on any given play and while his great speed definitely contributed to this his greatest advantage was his immense preparation you see before every single play he was constantly moving adjusting and reading the catcher signs to be in the best position possible when I walked to my position I always wanted to be the best and I told myself I’m the best right there right now at this moment and defensively I felt like I was the only one right there and and if anything go wrong I’m I’m costing my team the game so it was this incredible situational awareness that allowed him to make iconic catches like this one in August of 1999 once again he received the Gold Glove Award and even helped his team reach the World Series for the second time although facing the Yankees yet again the Braves stood no chance and were dismantled in a 4-ame sweep but this loss did not stop Jones from improving 2000 would be a breakout year for him at the plate as he set multiple career highs with 36 home runs and an average over 300 this sudden rise in production would lift Jones to his very first All-Star game so despite gaining almost 30 lbs since making his debut and stealing less bases than ever Jones was getting better by the year and still playing center field to near perfection may 2nd 2002 the Braves are holding on to a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth with two outs but luckily playing center field is Andrew Jones who makes one of the best catches of his career to end the game yet somehow this was not even his best play that season because in a matchup against the Phillies he made a similar diving play but with the bases loaded saving three runs and it was catches like these which made him a clear choice for his fifth straight gold glove but one thing about his defense that always confused his teammates was his inhuman confidence more specifically how he was always able to track balls over his head despite playing relatively shallow in center field but to Andrew this confidence came naturally and his explanation was fairly simple if you see me play very shallow that means I am feeling very good that day like no ball can get by me it’s the way Michael Jordan feels when he knows he won’t miss same thing did you realize the ease at which you played i really did not think about it at all to be honest with you i just went out there and and and played my game i wanted to be the best at my position 2003 would be another great year for Jones and it became his fourth straight season with at least 30 home runs not to mention he was now hitting behind two legends in Gary Sheffield and Shipper Jones leading to the highest RBI mark of his career so despite having a slight down year in 2004 his confidence was at an all-time high after all he had just won his seventh gold glove and he was about to have his best season yet however his incredible numbers were not enough to silence the same criticism he dealt with his entire life throughout the years fans began to notice something strange no matter the situation Jones was always smiling during his at bats even after striking out and as you can imagine many fans interpreted this behavior as him not caring about the game or his team however having watched him play for years one of his teammates came to his defense saying this it looks like he doesn’t care when he has that smirk but he does care you can’t look at the number of games he’s played the number of times he’s gone out there hurt and say he doesn’t care you see despite having dealt with several injuries as a result of his incredible defense Jones had only missed 24 games in the past 5 years and this was his response people will say what they want but the manager here knows I play hard and I play hurt i respect the game as you can tell Jones paid no mind to the criticism and in 2005 he would have the greatest season of his entire career over the off season he had taken some advice from one of the best players of all time Willie Mays and that advice was fairly simple to significantly widen his stance at the plate now this may seem like a small change but it instantly made a huge difference in the first half alone Jones hit 27 home runs a number which easily earned him his fourth all-star selection and by the end of the year he had racked up 51 home runs the most in MLB so at this point it seemed like his career was just getting started because following his fifth all-star selection in 2006 and his 10th consecutive gold glove in 2007 he was still only 30 years old and showing no signs of slowing down or at least that’s what everyone thought with a decade of consistent dominance now under his belt Jones was highly sought after as a free agent heading into 2008 and sure enough the Dodgers signed him to a contract worth 36 million over 2 years but things would quickly go downhill that year his numbers would drop to the lowest levels of his career and in May he would miss significant time due to injury for the first time in his career after undergoing surgery on his knee in total he would only play in 75 games posting an abysmal average of just 153 and in January of 2009 the Dodgers released Jones after only one season but this was only the beginning of the end over the next few years he was never able to return to his previous levels of dominance due to injuries along with a steady increase in weight and after short stints with the Rangers White Socks and Yankees his MLB career would come to an end at 35 years old now in 2012 he signed a deal with a team in Japan where he would play for the next 2 years but even after winning a championship and hitting 50 home runs across both seasons his eventual attempts at an MLB comeback were unsuccessful and in 2016 he would officially retire from baseball altogether despite his career being cut short his legendary run will never be forgotten andrew Jones is arguably the greatest defensive outfielder of all time and with five all-star selections and 10 Gold Glove Awards he certainly makes a case for the Hall of Fame [Music]

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Andruw Jones was one of the greatest and most exciting defenders in MLB history. His insane dives and over the head catches left fans dumbfounded and helped him earn 10 Gold Glove awards throughout his career. But while he is mostly known for his defense, Jones was also an elite hitter during his prime with over 400 career home runs.