Chipper Jones comments on Andruw Jones’ exclusion from Hall of Fame

Another year has passed, and Andruw Jones has still not been voted into the Hall of Fame. In his eighth year on the ballot, the former Braves centerfielder finished just 9% shy of the 75% threshold to get in. However, he was up a pretty significant amount compared to 2024, receiving 66.2% of the vote this year compared to 61.6% last year.

That momentum will likely continue over his final two years on the ballot, which should result in Andruw Jones rightfully getting into the Hall of Fame. He’s the best defensive centerfielder of all time — nobody even argues that anymore. He’s also one of just four players with 400+ home runs and 10 Gold Gloves. The other three — Ken Griffey Jr., Willie Mays, and Mike Schmidt — were all first-ballot Hall of Famers.

From 1998 to 2007, Jones ranked third in WAR with 57.6, ranking behind only Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez. That’s a Hall of Famer, and his old teammate, Chipper Jones, expressed his disbelief in the voting system following yesterday’s news that Andruw Jones will have to wait another year to get into Cooperstown.

“I wanna ask all HOF voters one question….if Andruw Jones plays for the New York Yankees for 15 yrs with 10 GGs, 400Hrs, 1300 rbis…is he a HOFer? Lemme answer for you….first ballot! Time to have a conversation about HOFers chiming in. 75 living members can make sure it’s right,” Chipper Jones wrote via X/Twitter. 

Things are trending in the right direction for Andruw Jones, but it’s a shame he’s had to wait this long to be recognized. Major League Baseball has a serious problem when it comes to Hall of Fame voting. The voters should be held to a certain standard, and they aren’t, allowing pride and personal vendettas to influence their decisions.

Hell, there was even a voter who refused to vote in Ichiro Suzuki this year, preventing him from becoming the second ever unanimous first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee. That person obviously shouldn’t have a vote, but I’m sure he’ll be back next year, turning in a mostly blank ballot with only his favorite player’s box checked. It’s a shame Major League Baseball doesn’t make the process more efficient, but it’s been this way for years, and there are no signs of it changing anytime soon.