Andruw Jones to Have No. 25 Braves Jersey Retired; Played 12 Years with ATL

The Atlanta Braves announced Monday they're retiring Andruw Jones' No. 25 jersey this season.

The franchise will hold a ceremony on Sept. 9 ahead of its game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Jones called it a "great honor":

"You don't think about things like that while you're playing. You just play the game you love. I'm thankful to the Braves for giving me the opportunity to play the game I love. Being the first kid from Curaçao to have his jersey retired is also an honor. So many kids who grew up there watching me play and this will give them hope on what they can do in their careers."

The 45-year-old spent 12 seasons in Atlanta. Over that span, he was a five-time All-Star and a 10-time Gold Glove winner.

Jones went on to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees.

Based on his Hall of Fame voting returns, the center fielder's run with the Braves has gone underrated. In his sixth year on the Hall of Fame ballot, he collected 58.1% of the vote.

By almost any metric, Jones was an elite defensive outfielder and perhaps the best of his generation. Those contributions came in tandem with what he was doing at the plate. He hit 368 home runs and had a .263/.342/.497 slash line with Atlanta.

Jones didn't have the same kind of longevity other legends enjoyed. He logged 100-plus games just once after turning 30. Still, he finished with an OPS+ of 120 in 2010 with Chicago and posted a 126 OPS+ with New York in 2011, per Baseball Reference.

By having his jersey retired by the Braves, Jones will at least have his career there placed in its proper perspective. His 61.0 WAR are fourth-most in franchise history for a position player, per Baseball Reference.