Braves greats take in '90s Braves documentary

 

ATLANTA -- Hall of Famers John Smoltz, Bobby Cox and John Schuerholz were among the dignitaries who gathered within The Battery Atlanta on Friday night to view the premiere of "MLB Network Presents: Atlanta Rules, The Story of the '90s Braves."

"I have seen some of the great documentaries MLB Network has done, so I have high expectations going into it," Smoltz said. "I'm intrigued, because you don't really think about what you're doing when you're doing it. It's kind of cool to see how they're going to put it together."

Serving as the opening event for the first Braves Chop Fest weekend, the screening of this documentary allowed some of the team's stars from the 1990s to reminisce about the greatest era in franchise history. Atlanta won five National League pennants, captured the city's only World Series title and saw the club's streak of 14 consecutive division titles begin during that memorable decade.

"I remember very vividly the years of the '90s and the Braves' excellent baseball during those years and the awakening of the city of Atlanta to Braves baseball after we went from worst to first in 1991," said Schuerholz, who served as the club's general manager from 1991-2007. "I'm looking forward to seeing how this film characterizes that and shows it as a historical development for this organization."

Terry Pendleton -- who won the 1991 National League MVP Award -- Brad Clontz, Eddie Perez and John Rocker were among the team's other former players who gathered for the screening, which was shown on the 30-foot diagonal high-definition LED screen at Sports & Social, a sports bar that stands across from SunTrust Park.

"You start to think, 'Geez, I'm old,' when they start to do documentaries that involve you," Pendleton said. "I think it's just an honor and a privilege to be in a documentary. To come here with the city and the surrounding states not thinking too much about the Atlanta Braves and then to do what we did and have it extend 14 consecutive seasons was something special. It was something none of us ever dreamt of."

Set to premiere on MLB Network on Feb. 13 at 9 p.m. ET, the hour-long documentary will show how the Braves suddenly evolved from woeful to model organization under the direction of Schuerholz and Cox, who altered the shape of the organization while serving as the GM from 1985-90 and then reaped the benefits while serving as the team's manager from 1991-2010.

Portions of the documentary will include a discussion that Smoltz, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine had in Cooperstown last summer, as they gathered to welcome Schuerholz into the hallowed Hall of Fame fraternity that now also includes Chipper Jones, the Braves icon who gained election on Wednesday, 28 years after being taken with the first overall pick in the 1990 MLB Draft.

"I remember asking Glavine what it would be like to play somewhere else and win," said Smoltz, who debuted for Atlanta in 1988. "Then the 1991 season happened, and we were as confident of a team as you'll ever see, thinking we could do it for three or four years easy. Then 10 years happens, and from that point forward, no one thought it could continue. When you get to 14 [consecutive division titles], it just doesn't seem real."

Mark Bowman has covered the Braves for MLB.com since 2001.

HOF inductees Jones, Thome share a history

 

NEW YORK -- Chipper Jones and Jim Thome tussled during a benches-clearing brawl during their Minor League days, competed against each other during the 1995 World Series and spent some time as National League East rivals. But the two are now close friends, who will spend the next few months replacing some of their normal hunting tales with talk about their upcoming induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

After being elected to the Hall of Fame on Wednesday night, Jones and Thome traveled to Manhattan to join fellow electees Trevor Hoffman and Vladimir Guerrero for an afternoon news conference. Jones and Thome reminisced and praised the separate paths each took after arriving at the Major League level as third basemen.

"When I first heard of Chipper, I think the thing you instantly think of is the name," Thome said. "You think about name like Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle. Chipper will go down as one of those iconic names in the game."

As Jones was establishing himself as one of the greatest switch-hitters and third basemen in baseball history, playing his entire career for the Braves, Thome was compiling 612 career home runs while primarily serving as a first baseman or designated hitter for six teams.

Most of Thome's matchups against the Braves came when he played for the Phillies from 2003-05, which were also the final three seasons of Atlanta's streak of 14 consecutive division titles.

"[Thome] was just donkey strong," Jones said. "It was impressive to see what he did to some baseballs."

Jones was first introduced to Thome's brute strength in 1993 when he and his Richmond Braves teammates found themselves in the midst of a benches-clearing incident after a Charlotte pitcher threw a pitch behind Ryan Klesko's head.

As the opposing players converged neared the plate, Thome pinned Jones up against the backstop until cooler heads prevailed. The incident certainly hasn't damaged their friendship, as the two exchanged phone calls and texts on a regular basis leading up to the Hall of Fame election.

"Watching him, he had this way about him and this aura about him," Thome said. "It wasn't arrogant. It was very confident. Getting to know him and getting to speak to him, then you see the sincerity and think, 'This guy is a good guy.'"

"We've got a lot in common," Jones said. "We're kind of in the hunting industry on the side. We've been talking over the past few weeks and months, saying how cool it would be if we both went in together."

Thome has great admiration for how durable and productive Jones remained while playing the physically taxing position. Thome struggled defensively as he spent the first few seasons of his career at the hot corner and was just starting to get more comfortable at the position when the Indians transitioned him to first base in 1997.

"It was a very demanding position and the respect I have for a guy like Chipper to do it [for so long] was just incredible," Thome said. "Personally, I think the best move for me was to move off third base and go to first base, with the history of my back that I fought later in my career. I think the amazing thing about [Jones] going in is it's an iconic position with an iconic player that did wonderful things throughout his whole career, from day one when I saw him [playing for Triple-A Richmond] and when I saw him play for Atlanta."

When a reporter asked Thome, Hoffman and Guerrero if they would trade their election to the Hall of Fame for a World Series ring, Jones laughed and said, "I'm glad I don't have to answer that one."

Thome chuckled and said, "Yeah, that's because you beat us."

While they might not spend a significant amount of time reminiscing about the Braves beating Thome's Indians in the 1995 World Series, the two certainly found plenty to talk about and in the process, it appears they are, in a way, are still competing.

"He works for the Braves and I work for the White Sox," said Thome, who like Jones serves as a special assistant . "You don't give a lot of information. But you always ask how you're doing. I know they have some great players in the Minor Leagues. We do as well. There's always that cat-and-mouse game you have to play."

Mark Bowman has covered the Braves for MLB.com since 2001.

Jones grateful for mentors on path to Hall

 

NEW YORK -- As Chipper Jones sat alongside the three other newly elected Hall of Famers during a Thursday afternoon news conference in Manhattan, he reminisced and once again expressed appreciation for everyone who aided him along the path that led him from his hometown of Pierson, Fla., to Cooperstown.

"It was a pipe dream growing up in a town as small as the one I called home," said Jones, who might find the quaint nature of Cooperstown to feel a little bit like his rural central Florida hometown, which has a population of less than 2,000.

For nearly three decades, the small-town kid has been a household name throughout the baseball world, and on Wednesday night his name was officially immortalized when he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He participated in Thursday's news conference with this year's fellow electees -- Jim Thome, Trevor Hoffman and Vladimir Guerrero.

"This is going to be a cool ride," Jones said. "I want to share it with each and every one who played a part in helping me get here."

Along with expressing thanks for the support system his parents have provided in their nearly 50 years of marriage, Jones recognized how significantly his journey was influenced by the Braves' decision to use the first overall pick in the 1990 MLB Draft on him, instead of Todd Van Poppel, Tony Clark, Mike Lieberthal or any of the other top prospects available that year.

"The year I was drafted, I by no means felt I was the best player in that Draft," Jones said. "It was just a matter of a certain team needing a certain kind of player. I was that player for the Atlanta Braves and they had the No. 1 pick. That's the only reason I was the No. 1 pick in the Draft. If they had gone with Todd Van Poppel, I'd have probably been the fifth or sixth player taken in the Draft. How much different would my career have been?"

Blessed with incredible eye-hand coordination, tremendous athleticism and a Ted Williams-like understanding of the art of hitting, Jones certainly might have become a Hall of Famer even if he hadn't had the chance to spend the entirety of his 22 professional seasons within the Braves' system. But it's nearly impossible to think about his career unfolding without the strong influence provided by Terry Pendleton, David Justice, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Bobby Cox and the other Braves figures who welcomed him to the Majors in 1993 and then kept his ego in check once he returned from a torn ACL to begin his reign as Atlanta's third baseman in 1995.

Cox certainly played a significant role as he served as the general manager who decided to take Jones with the top overall pick, and then became the manager who had the honor of putting the switch-hitting slugger in his lineup on a daily basis over the course of 16 seasons (1995-2010).

"I could have sat there in 1995 or '96 and said, 'I'm going to be a Hall of Famer,'" Jones said. "I didn't really believe it, and Bobby would have killed me if I'd have said that publicly. Bobby was good at calling me into the principal's office whenever I needed to have a foot shoved up my rear. But that was good. It kept me grounded, and I think one of the reasons why I stayed on the straight line was because I had good players around me that kept me in check.

"I'm forever grateful for that because I can sit here and see other players that maybe they didn't have the same support system that I did, and maybe they'll take it to an extreme. I'm very grateful for that because eventually I would grow up and want to smack the young Chipper upside the head."

Leading up to his July 29 induction ceremony in Cooperstown, Jones will have many more opportunities to reminisce and tell tales like he did after being joined with his fellow Hall of Fame electees on Thursday.

Before entering the news conference, Jones talked to Hoffman about some of their late-inning matchups and about how uncomfortable it was to be a third baseman with Guerrero at the plate. He and Thome shared a ride together to the MLB Network studio, and along the way they talked about a variety of topics, including meeting at the Triple-A level and competing against each other in the 1995 World Series.

"This is a tremendous honor," Jones said. "It's truly a blessing to be sitting up here in the company of greatness with these guys."

Mark Bowman has covered the Braves for MLB.com since 2001.

Head of the Class: Chipper elected to Hall

 

ATLANTA -- Though he was certain he was going to receive the hallowed call, Chipper Jones tossed and turned as he experienced a restless night and attempted to calm the excitement he felt when he received confirmation he now has the distinction of being a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

"I knew today was going to be a day that could possibly change my life forever," Jones said. "You have a handful of instances where something happens that will change your life, with marriages and kids. But professionally, being drafted No. 1 overall in 1990 changed my life forever. Today was another instance where my life will never be the same."

As he was surrounded by friends and family members at his suburban Atlanta home, Jones received a call early Wednesday morning that informed him he had been elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame. He proudly shared the moment with his mom, Lynne, who provided him his inner strength, and his father, Larry Wayne Sr., a devout Mickey Mantle fan who taught Chipper how to switch-hit at a young age and now has the honor of knowing his only son will forever be immortalized with Mantle and the game's other legends in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Shortly after receiving the call, Jones signed a pair of baseballs for Blondie (his mother's nickname) and Hawk (his father's nickname).

"I put their nicknames on it and said we did it and signed it 'HOF '18,'" Jones said. "It was a pretty special feeling."

Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman were elected via the ballots cast by qualified Baseball Writers' Association of America members. The quartet will join Modern Baseball Era Committee electees Jack Morris and Alan Trammell to form the Hall of Fame Class of 2018, which will be officially inducted during a July 29 ceremony in Cooperstown.

The only question about Jones' candidacy leading up to the announcement focused on how his vote total would relate to the highest in balloting history. He was included on 97.2 percent of the ballots, matching what his former Braves teammate Greg Maddux received in 2014. The only players to receive a higher percentage were Ken Griffey Jr. (99.3 percent), Tom Seaver (98.8), Nolan Ryan (98.8), Cal Ripken Jr. (98.5), George Brett (98.2), Ty Cobb (98.2), Hank Aaron (97.8), Tony Gwynn (97.6) and Randy Johnson (97.3).

Having worn No. 10 throughout the bulk of his career, Jones thought it was appropriate to now own the 10th-highest percentage in balloting history.

Jones' election extends what has recently been a nearly annual late July pilgrimage to Cooperstown for the Braves organization. He now shares the honor that within the past four years was bestowed upon some of his former teammates -- Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz -- his former manager Bobby Cox and his former general manager John Schuerholz.

Like Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz, Jones was elected in his first appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot, making the Braves the first team in history with four first-ballot teammates who spent 10-plus years with the same club.

"For us to have that little fraternity in a little piece of heaven up there in Cooperstown, New York, it's something that we can and should be very proud of, because we did an awful lot of winning during the '90s and early 2000s in Atlanta," Jones said.

While playing the entirety of his professional career with the Braves, Jones had a .303 batting average with a .401 on-base percentage, a .529 slugging percentage, 468 home runs, 1,623 RBIs and 1,619 runs. He earned eight All-Star selections, garnered the 1999 National League MVP Award and proudly retired having struck out fewer times (1,409) than he walked (1,512).

Jones joins Babe Ruth, Stan Musial, Lou Gehrig, Mel Ott and Ted Williams as one of only six players in MLB history to record a .300 batting average, a .400 on-base percentage, a .500 slugging percentage, 450 home runs, 1,500 walks, 1,600 RBIs and 1,600 runs.

As a young child, Jones used to sneak into his father's closet and grab a Mantle bat. Though he didn't have the strength to swing it, the presence in his hand provided him a sense of what he wanted and needed to do to realize that dream of becoming a Major Leaguer.

Selected by the Braves to begin the 1990 MLB Draft, Jones joins Griffey as the Hall of Famers who were a first overall Draft pick. He debuted during the final month of the 1993 season and missed the following season with the first of two torn left anterior cruciate ligaments that would interrupt his career. Jones began his reign as the Braves' starting third baseman at the start of the '95 season, which culminated with Atlanta capturing its only World Series title.

With Jones as a regular in their lineup, the Braves won 11 consecutive division titles from 1995-2005, three NL pennants and that lone World Series championship. He homered twice during his postseason debut (Game 1 of the 1995 NL Division Series against the Rockies) and ended up producing an .864 OPS over 93 postseason games.

While playing at the Double-A level, Jones was asked to be present at an autograph signing event that featured Mantle. He nervously rehearsed what he would say and then found himself literally speechless when he was introduced to the switch-hitting Yankees legend.

Twenty-five years later, Jones proudly holds the honor of ranking third all-time among switch-hitters in home runs, batting average, slugging percentage and OPS. He epitomized consistency as he slashed .304/.391/.498 against left-handed pitchers and .303/.405/.541 against right-handers.

"Today has just been a blur," Jones said. "I still can't believe that it's happened."

Mark Bowman has covered the Braves for MLB.com since 2001.

McGriff, Andruw far short of HOF election

 

ATLANTA -- Fred McGriff has become all too familiar with the disappointment he has felt annually when the Hall of Fame ballot results are announced. Andruw Jones can at least be thankful that his candidacy will extend beyond one year.

As Chipper Jones celebrated his Hall of Fame election Wednesday night, McGriff experienced a result similar to the ones he had garnered over each of the previous eight years and Andruw Jones received just a little more than enough votes to extend his candidacy to a second year.

McGriff received a vote on 23.2 percent of the 422 ballots that were cast by qualified members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. That stood as the second-highest percentage received by the former first baseman, who garnered his highest percentage (23.9) in 2012. But with his 10-year ballot candidacy set to expire next year, it seems unlikely he'll receive the necessary 75 percent of the votes to gain election.

Jones stood as a likely Hall of Famer a decade ago. But he struggled mightily near the end of his career, and the early voting results that were made public provided reason to wonder if he'd receive the 5 percent necessary to remain on the ballot. The 10-time Gold Glove Award winner ended up receiving 31 votes (7.3 percent). He needed 22 votes to exceed the 5 percent minimum to extend his candidacy.

A couple of other former Braves -- Billy Wagner and Gary Sheffield -- were included on 11.1 percent of the cast ballots.

McGriff finished his 19-season career with a .284 batting average, a .377 on-base percentage, a .509 slugging percentage and 493 home runs. The five-time All-Star first baseman might have reached the 500-homer plateau had portions of the 1994 and '95 seasons not been erased by a work stoppage.

While the homer total stands as a significant variable within this evaluation, it's still noteworthy that McGriff stands as just one of 16 players to hit .280 with a .375 OBP, .500 slugging percentage and at least 490 home runs. The 15 others on the list are Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Alex Rodriguez, Mel Ott, Gary Sheffield, Babe Ruth, Albert Pujols, David Ortiz, Mickey Mantle, Frank Thomas, Jimmie Foxx, Manny Ramirez, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig and Barry Bonds.

Jones batted .254, tallied 434 home runs and constructed an .823 OPS over a 17-season career that included 10 Gold Glove Awards, five All-Star appearances and the National League Hank Aaron Award he captured in 2005 when he finished second to Pujols in balloting for the Most Valuable Player Award. The only other players to win as many as 10 Gold Gloves are Ichiro Suzuki and four Hall of Famers -- Mays, Roberto Clemente, Al Kaline and Ken Griffey Jr.

The former Braves center fielder was the author of an uneven career that started with a bang and ended with a thud. He produced MLB's third-best Wins Above Replacement, according to FanGraphs, from 1998-2007. The two men who ranked ahead of him within that span were Bonds and Rodriguez. The man ranked immediately behind him was Chipper Jones, his longtime Braves teammate who lived up to the Hall of Fame expectations that surrounded him a decade ago.

Mark Bowman has covered the Braves for MLB.com since 2001.

Why Chipper is a no-doubt HOF selection

 

ATLANTA -- Chipper Jones grew up and progressed through his distinguished Major League career aspiring to be like his father's childhood idol, Mickey Mantle. During his successful journey, the Braves' legend earned the opportunity to forever be included within discussions that solely focus on Cooperstown's most revered immortal residents.

Jones has had a few years to prepare for the celebration that will likely take place on Wednesday. Live coverage of the 2018 Hall of Fame announcement begins at 3 p.m. ET on MLB Network, simulcast live on MLB.com, with the electees named at 6. The only remaining questions about Jones' candidacy center around where his vote total will rank in comparison with the Hall's previous near-unanimous electees. No player has been unanimously elected via the ballots cast by qualified members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Jones had received a vote on 98.3 percent of the ballots that had been submitted to ballot tracker Ryan Thibodaux, who provides regular balloting updates via his @NotMrTibbs Twitter account. It remains to be seen how many votes Jones receives from the voters who have chosen to not publicly reveal their ballot.

If Jones' percentage remains the same, he would become just the seventh Hall of Famer to be elected while being included on at least 98 percent of the ballots. The legends who have already gained this distinction are Ken Griffey Jr. (99.3 percent), Tom Seaver (98.8), Nolan Ryan (98.8), Cal Ripken (98.5) George Brett (98.2) and Ty Cobb (98.2).

There's a chance Jones' percentage could drop when the final results account for the ballots not made public. But it still appears he is destined to become just the 16th Hall of Famer to gain election while being included on at least 95 percent of the ballots. This list includes the players listed in the previous paragraph, along with Hank Aaron (97.8), Tony Gwynn (97.6), Randy Johnson (97.3), Greg Maddux (97.2), Mike Schmidt (96.5), Johnny Bench (96.4), Babe Ruth (95.1) and Honus Wagner (95.1).

However you look at it, Jones will be joining elite company as he reaps the rewards of a career that included a .303 batting average, a .401 on-base percentage, a .529 slugging percentage, 468 home runs, 1,623 RBIs and 1,619 runs scored. He earned eight All-Star selections, won the 1999 National League Most Valuable Player Award and proudly retired having struck out fewer times (1,409) than he walked (1,512).

Here's a glance at some numbers that validate why Jones has garnered so much love from this year's Hall of Fame voters.

Hanging with The Babe, Stan The Man and The Iron Horse
Jones joins Ruth, Stan Musial, Lou Gehrig, Mel Ott and Ted Williams as one of only six players in MLB history to record a .300 batting average, a .400 on-base percentage, a .500 slugging percentage, 450 home runs, 1,500 walks, 1,600 RBIs and 1,600 runs.

If you want to take runs, RBIs and walks out of the equation -- because they are dependent on more variables than the other outputs -- Jones stands as one of nine players to hit .300 with a .400 OBP, .500 SLG and 450 HRs. This club consists of the six players mentioned above, Ott, Jimmie Foxx and Manny Ramirez.

Patience is a virtue
Jones stands as one of 39 players to hit at least 450 home runs and just one of 12 players to do so while producing a .400 OBP. He drew the 11th-most walks among the members of the 450-homer club and recorded the 14th-fewest strikeouts.

The sample size isn't necessarily large as the longevity and era of Jones' career led him to become one of just 93 players to strike out at least 1,400 times. But it should be noted that he stands with Mantle, Schmidt, Jim Thome, Harmon Killebrew, Rickey Henderson, Barry Bonds and Darrell Evans as the only players to reach that strikeout total while still drawing at least 1,500 walks.

Bonds (.444), Mantle (.421), Thome (.402), Henderson (.401) and Jones (.401) were the only members of that more-walks-than-strikeouts group to produce a .400 on-base percentage.

Mastering both sides
Among switch-hitters who have compiled at least 5,000 plate appearances, Jones ranks third in home runs, third in batting average, fourth in on-base percentage, third in slugging percentage and third in OPS.

Jones will be the 12th switch-hitting position player elected to the Hall of Fame, but just the seventh who has played within the past 75 years. The only other switch-hitting position players who played after the end of World War II and were elected to the HOF are Mantle, Eddie Murray, Ozzie Smith, Tim Raines, Roberto Alomar and Red Schoendienst.

Jones' switch-hitting splits highlighted the consistency of his career. He hit .304/.391/.498 against left-handers and .303/.405/.541 against right-handers.

Mark Bowman has covered the Braves for MLB.com since 2001.