Andruw Jones overrated?

[TennNC]

Apologies if this has already been covered. I just heard about Stark's book. Just read this part about Andruw. Thoughts?

ESPN.com: Stark: "The Stark Truth"

[hvwarrior58]

He is what he is: a great defensive CF with very little skill at the plate, imo.

[Lexvol]

The article is contrary to this, but to the naked eye he still seems to be pretty effective in CF. I found those zone reports to be very interesting.

[kkep48]

on the Braves discussion, I have been saying that Jones is overrated for a while now. I think he's the best defensive CF in the game, no question, but his offense is nothing to rely on. He is extremely streaky and his slumps, like he's in now, are horrible. He tries to pull everything and doesn't take advice from the hitting coaches. I think the Braves will lose a great CF after this season, but their offense will be fine without him. The strikeouts are terrible and his avg. is pathetic right now.

[TennNC]

No surprise that people question his offensive performance, but I thought it was unanimous that he's the best CF in the game. Anytime I ever hear other players - especially pitchers - talk about him, he saves them so many runs. Just his presence out there must make everyone else better.

I'd never heard of the zone reports either - I'm behind - so I'll start paying more attention to the balls Andruw doesn't get to. I still think he's the smartest CF in the game and that his positioning and ability to read balls early makes him the best CF in the game, regardless of whether he's lost a step.

[WA_Vol]

Looks to me like he's gained some weight over the years. I don't think that made him any faster.

[kkep48]

Originally Posted by oklavol

Looks to me like he's gained some weight over the years. I don't think that made him any faster.

He has definitely gained weight over the years to concentrate more on hitting HR's instead of defense.

[ut 4 me]

i don't think he is overrated, because many people think he is awful at the plate. but he is one of the greatest defensive players in a long time in my opinion.

[ut 4 me]

Originally Posted by oklavol

Looks to me like he's gained some weight over the years. I don't think that made him any faster.

he has definitely gained weight, but i don't think he has lost much speed. he certainly isn't as fast as when he was 20, but he reacts so quickly to a hit ball that he doesn't need blazing speed

[TennNC]

Originally Posted by ut 4 me

...but he reacts so quickly to a hit ball that he doesn't need blazing speed

Exactly. He's the best at anticipating.

[Business]

If he keeps going like he is and the Braves offer him some huge contract to end his days in Atlanta, they will be stupid. He is not worth the money that he will want after this season.

[The Dude]

Andruw Jones is hurt by the fact that scouts, baseball writers, and enthusiasts pronounced him the next coming of Willie Mays at 18 years old in single-A ball. It would be hard for anyone to live up to that hype.

He is what he is: a .260 hitter who's going to knock in 100 runs a year and play excellent in center. I don't see or hear anyone proclaiming Andruw Jones' hitting ability as anything better than average, so how can he be overrated? He's won 9 straight gold gloves, and while his defense may be declining,.....he's won 9 straight gold gloves! I hope this Andruw Jones mention (and his utterly comical mention of Koufax being overrated) helps Stark sell some books and lead to more "ESPN talking head" appearances.

[Volsguy12]

well he has struck out twice today...but he followed the last K with a diving catch in CF...

I love Jones, he's my favorite player..but he really needs to work on his batting.