Atlanta Braves retire jersey of 10-time Gold Glove winner Andrew Jones

The Atlanta Braves retired the No. 25 jersey of their former central fielder Andrew Jones ahead of the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Truist Park on Saturday.

“I played 12 seasons in Atlanta, and I only had one manager, Mr. Bobby Cox,” Andrew Jones said. “Bobby was a father figure who pushed me to become the best player I could be. Without him, I would not be here tonight.”

The jerseys of some of Andrew Jones’ teammates from when he played for the Braves between 1996 and 2007, including Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Chipper Jones and Cox, had already been retired by the team.

“To have my number retired next to Mr. Hank Aaron, No. 44, blows my mind,” Andrew Jones said. His No. 25 became the 11th number retired by the Braves, and he’s the only among them not enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

The Braves’ decision to retire Andrew Jones’ jersey may boost his induction. One has to receive at least 75 percent of the ballots submitted by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Andrew Jones got 58.1 percent of the votes, the fourth-most, in this year’s election.

“Practice your speech tonight because I have a feeling you’re going to be making another one really, really soon in a small town called Cooperstown,” Chipper Jones told Andrew Jones.

Andrew Jones was a five-time MLB All-Star player and a 10-time Gold Glove winner. He hit 434 home runs in his career, 51 of which happened in 2005, setting a franchise record. He also won the Silver Slugger Award that season.

Moreover, Andrew Jones had been an elite defender for most of his career.

“It was unbelievable,” the Braves’ manager Brian Snitker said. “You see the video of him moving before the ball is hit and things like that. Just such a talented guy and durable. He was a guy who never came out of the blowouts. He played all the innings of all the games.”