Andruw Jones’ Biggest Obstacle

Written by Rue on January 18, 2009 – 8:44 pm

Andruw Jones’ biggest obstacle for 2009 is nothing other than himself.  It is not a big secret that Jones is back in Atlanta right now training with some members of the team including Chipper Jones and Brian McCann.  He is even rumored to have shed a few pounds.  The question, however, is whether or not the Braves should pick Andruw Jones up for the 2009 season.

Refusing to take a minor league contract, Jones and agent Scott Boras have made it clear that Jones’ perception of his current athletic ability is significantly more positive than most baseball enthusiasts’.  However, don’t let their optimism fool you.  The Golden Gloved Andruw Jones that many Atlantans had grown to love is not back to his old ways since fleeing LA.

So what exactly happened to Jones?

Andruw Jones’ ego was the key to his own demise.  Season after successful season in Atlanta made Jones realize that he was one of the best outfielders ever to step on the field.  With growing success came increasing confidence that eventually transformed into arrogance.  Arrogance inevitably led Jones to believe that he was invincible, and the perception of invincibility was the start of some less-than-adequate training routines and quite a few extra pounds.  Andruw Jones did not suddenly drop from superstar to hardly major league worthy in one season because of nature and aging. It was entirely mental.  Letting go of the basics, Jones lost his ability to spot the ball and send it out of the park – but he didn’t let go of his attempts to park the ball with every swing, oftentimes leaving him strolling back to the dugout with the burden of another strikeout on his shoulders.

The weight of 138 strikeouts in 154 games (2007) and 76 K’s in 75 games (2008) is surely a heavy burden to bear and cannot simply be whisked to the back of one’s mind. Jones has tried over and over to compensate for his offensive inadequacies by boasting his career consistencies defensively. But what does that get the Braves now? A seemingly guaranteed strikeout at every plate appearance?

With a hot head and a sharp tongue, Andruw Jones has proven that he truly believes that he is the same Andruw Jones of a half decade ago, but making a few changes here and there will not get him back to that place no matter how strongly he’d like to believe that. Will Andruw Jones come back? Yes, if he is willing to take his head out of (well, you know) and recognize that he needs more work than is comprehensible. Is it likely that he’ll get his head back in the game? No, it isn’t. Andruw Jones is a minor league caliber player without the insight (or agent) to realize that. It’s back to fundamentals, Mr. Jones. Otherwise, you’re on your way out. At this point in Andruw Jones’ career, it is not a question of proven ability, it is a question of whether or not he can improve his attitude and get his head back in the game.

Also, Andruw’s knee woes are the result of increased weight.  His body was not designed to handle that much weight on the natural strength of his joints. Again, Andruw can blame his failure on himself.

Andruw Jones will not give you the comeback you are looking for if you are a fan and proponent of his return to the Braves outfield.  And can you honestly say that Andruw Jones is a better fit for our outfield than the rising Josh Anderson? At the end of the 2008 season, Anderson was one of a few shining stars in a very dim season finale, showing both impressive offensive numbers and great speed and consistency in the outfield.  Saying that you would like to see Andruw Jones standing in that 8 field position is directly stating that Josh Anderson is not a better fit for the organization as a whole. We are not talking about the Golden Gloved Andruw Jones.

It is important to weigh options and take a look at what the Braves have to offer with their young talent than to jump back to the Jones solution… which happens to be the solution that no one wants.

Andruw Jones’ biggest obstacle is himself.  Mr. Jones, get over yourself.


Tags: , ,
Posted in General | 24 Comments »

Rue’s Rants – The Andruw Counter

Written by Rue on May 16, 2008 – 10:39 am

I hate our “Andruw Would Have Gotten That” counter.

This counter is crap for more than one reason, but I actually get aggitated every time I see it. At first I thought it was a great idea to have this counter since we thought we’d sorely miss Mr. Jones in the lineup. I can’t say, though, that I’m sorry to see him gone.  For starters, Mark Kotsay is fielding amazingly.  The counter says three, I say MAYBE one, and more accurately if it was called the “Young-Skinny-Athletic-Andruw Would Have Gotten That” counter.  Andruw Jones can hardly carry his 8-month-pregnant belly up a flight of stairs these days, let alone run down some of the stellar hits that Kotsay has gloved.  During the first few games, my boys kept yelling over “write one up for the Andruw counter” on impossible plays.  Andruw thought he was Superman, and still does, but I’ll guarantee you he wasn’t making those catches either way.  The first think we needed to do was be realistic with Kotsay, not sell him short for being less than super human.

Secondly, Kotsay is a much better addition to the batting lineup. Do YOU miss the current Andruw Jones in the lineup? His batting average is worse than Corky Miller’s! The only time a 0.091 is worth $18 million is when it’s an ERA.  Kotsay is hitting like crazy right now. Should we trade that in and wish that Andruw was still here?

Finally, welcome to Atlanta, Mark Kotsay. I think my boys were a little too sad to see the big-man with all of his silver cars hit the road to LA. The cocky man fits in better in LA with his attitude and lack of Southern Hospitality. Mark Kotsay is playing fabulously, is a veteran, has lots of skill and ability, and is the absolute best fit for our team. I’m glad he was chosen over Josh Anderson for the spot. Kotsay is our man, I hope to see him stay here.

So good riddance, Mr. Jones. I’m glad to have you here, Mark. Thanks for making us proud.


Tags: , ,
Posted in Rue's Rants | 30 Comments »

Braves Win 3rd Straight

Written by Jonathan on April 19, 2008 – 11:21 pm

It was a great afternoon for baseball as the Braves faced off against the Dodgers in the second game of the three-game series.  Chuck James took the hill for the Braves in place of Tom Glavine, who finds himself on the disabled llist for the first time in his 22-year career.  After a not so stellar first appearance of the season, James didn’t look bad at all today.  He threw for 5 innings, giving up 4 hits and 1 run.  That run came on an Andruw Jones solo home run that landed deep in the left field seats.  This also amounted to all of the run production to Dodgers would have on the day.

The Braves’ offense was held pretty stagnant with the exception of the 5th inning when they beat up on Chad Billingsley, who struck out 9 batters through 5 innings.  Johnson,  Escobar, Chipper and Teixeira all came across the plate to create a 4-run 5th inning, and enough offense for the Braves to win 4-1.

The Braves face off against the Dodgers in the final game of the series tomorrow afternoon, looking for their first true sweep of the season and to get back to .500 on the season.  Jair Jurrjens will be up against Hiroki Kuroda for the Dodgers.


Tags: , ,
Posted in Game Analysis | No Comments »

Remembering Andruw

Written by Colin on March 28, 2008 – 2:46 pm

Jonathan and Charles were watching the first spring game of the year on TV a few weeks back and had a discussion regarding our new center fielder, Mark Kotsay. Now, we’re not experts, and we know we won’t miss Andruw’s bat, but we know Kotsay doesn’t have the range Andruw did.  We’re a little concerned about Kotsay’s back, too. Every time he dives for a ball, we’re afraid it’s the last time he may dive. It’s kind of like watching Mike Hampton pitch.

Now we have nothing against Mark Kotsay and we hope he has a great season. But he simply cannot match the range of the amazing Andruw Jones, who is one of the best center fielders to ever play the game. Thus, Jonathan and Charles decided to start a “Andruw Would Have Gotten That” counter. Every time we’re at or watching the game, and Kotsay doesn’t get to a ball that we all know Andruw would have caught, we’re adding one to the counter, in an attempt to quantify how much we miss Andruw in the outfield.

In our game recaps, we’ll mention how many points we add to the counter, and if you think we’ve missed one, chime in and we’ll add it to the list.

Join us this year in watching every game and saying “Andruw would have gotten that.”


Tags: ,
Posted in General | 8 Comments »

BravesBlast.com is not affiliated with or sponsored by the Atlanta Braves organization. Views expressed on this site do not reflect the views of the Atlanta Braves organization.