Andruw Jones is now the first player in Major League Baseball history to make the Hall of Fame born on the island of Curaçao. Jones was the glue for the Atlanta Braves when they reached the postseason in the first 10 years of his career. Jones was finally voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his ninth year on the ballot on Jan. 20. He received 78.4% of the votes.
Atlanta Braves legend Andruw Jones gets elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his 9th year on the ballot.
Jones won 10 straight Gold Gloves. He is one of the best defensive outfielders in MLB history.
He will manage the Netherlands in the WBC and played for them twice. pic.twitter.com/hUusHZ7Qf7
— World Baseball Network (@WorldBaseball_) January 21, 2026
Jones, 48, was at risk of not getting into the Hall of Fame. He would have only one year left on the ballot if he didn’t reach the 75% threshold this year.
Jones was born in Willemstad, Curaçao, in 1977. Curaçao is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Jones has played in the World Baseball Classic for the Netherlands twice, in 2006 and 2013, and will manage the Netherlands in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. In the 2013 World Baseball Classic, he slashed .333/.441/.370. He had nine hits and two RBIs in the tournament.
Andruw Jones will manage Team Netherlands for the 2026 World Baseball Classic!
Check out some of his highlights as a player: https://t.co/rpH4YQ6qJv pic.twitter.com/t8hRUqXVKl
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) January 21, 2026
He is one of the best defensive center fielders of all-time and won 10-straight Gold Gloves from 1998-2007, all with the Braves. In this part of his career, Jones was much more than just a glove, and this was really exemplified in 2005. That season, he hit a career-high 51 home runs, won a Silver Slugger Award, and finished second in the National League MVP Award race.
Jones eventually left the Braves in 2008 to join the Dodgers. He debuted with the Braves at age 19, and when he left for the Dodgers, he was going into his age-31 season. He battled through injuries and reached an agreement to either be traded or released by the Dodgers before spring training the following season. The Dodgers released him in January before the 2009 season. He hit just .158 in 75 games with the Dodgers. He landed with the Texas Rangers in 2009, but still couldn’t capture that Braves magic. He also played with the Chicago White Sox in 2010 and the New York Yankees in 2011 and 2012.
After collecting 1,683 hits with the Braves, Jones didn’t even finish his career with 2,000 hits. He had just 250 hits in his final five seasons, bringing his career total to 1,933 hits. He finished his career with 434 home runs, 1,289 RBIs, 152 stolen bases, and a slash line of 254/.337/.468 in 7,599 career at-bats.
Jones explored international options after his MLB days came to an end. He played for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Nippon Professional Baseball for two seasons, 2013 and 2014. This was highlighted by Jones helping the Eagles win their first Pacific League Climax Series and Japan Series in 2013. He was the primary designated hitter and played some first base. He had a .845 OPS and 26 home runs in 2013 and followed it up by hitting 24 home runs in 2014.
Jones suited up for the Netherlands in the 2015 Premier12. He played in five games, starting four, and went 4-for-16 with two RBIs. Jones will always be a legend in baseball, and his international impact should not be overlooked. He will get his day in Cooperstown this summer to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame forever with plenty of other great players.
Photo: The Netherlands’ designated hitter Andruw Jones (25) tries to dodge Korea’s catcher Kang Minho (47) on home plate in the fourth inning of a World Baseball Classic first-round game at the Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan, March 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Wally Santana, File)
