Braves are set to retire Andruw Jones’ No. 25 jersey in September

The Atlanta Braves are planning to retire the No. 25 of former five-time All-Star center fielder Andruw Jones in September.

Jones will be the 11th Braves player in history to have his number retired.

‘It’s a great honor getting your number retired. You don’t think about things like that while you’re playing. You just play the game you love,’ said Jones. ‘I’m thankful to the Braves for giving me the opportunity to play the game I love.’

Jones will be honored during a pregame celebration on September 9, ahead of the Braves-Pittsburgh game at Truist Park. 

Jones, 45, batted .254 with 434 home runs and 1,289 RBIs during his 17-year career, with 12 of them coming with the Braves (1996-2007). The five-time All-Star hit 51 homers in 2005, a Major League-best, though he finished second in the NL MVP race that year to Albert Pujols, despite winning a Silver Slugger and Hank Aaron Award.

Jones made five All-Star teams with the Braves and was known for his defensive displays, put forward by his 10 Gold Gloves

Jones is also a 10-time Gold Glove winner, which makes him widely regarded as one of the best outfielders in baseball history. He led the league with a 26.7 defensive bWAR during his 11 seasons in Atlanta.

Jones joins Dale Murphy, Bobby Cox, Chipper Jones, Warren Spahn, John Smoltz, Greg Maddux, Phil Niekro, Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron and Tom Glavine as players to have numbers retired by the Braves. He joined the club’s Hall of Fame in 2016.

‘Andruw Jones is one of the most dynamic, beloved players to ever wear a Braves uniform,’ Braves chairman Terry McGuirk said. ‘His impact on this organization far outlives his playing days, and this number retirement is a well-deserved honor.’ 

Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 jersey was retired by all 30 MLB clubs in 1997. 

Murphy and Jones are the only two Braves player to not yet be elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Jones has appeared on balloting since 2018, when he received 7.3 percent of the vote, well short of the 75 percent required for election, though above the 5 percent minimum required to remain on ballot. 

Jones holds the record for being the youngest player ever to hit a homer in the playoffs at 19, during the 1996 World Series (pictured)

The 45-year-old is also just the second player ever to home in his first two World Series at-bats

His support rose to 33.9 percent as of the 2021 ballot, his fourth appearance. In 2022, it increased to 41.4 percent in his fifth year of eligibility. A player may appear on the ballot a maximum of 10 times. 

Jones was initially called up to the Majors near the end of the 1996 season. At only 19, he homered in his first two career World Series plate appearances, becoming the youngest player ever to hit a home run in the postseason, and just the second player ever to homer in his first two World Series at-bats. 

‘Being the first kid from Curaçao to have his jersey retired is also an honor,’ Jones said. ‘So many kids who grew up there watching me play, and this will give them hope on what they can do in their careers.’ 

Jones also had stints with the L.A. Dodgers (2008), Texas Ranger (2009), Chicago White Sox (2010), New York Yankees (2011-2012) and the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (2013-14) in Japan.