Andruw Jones Finally Joins the Yankees

Following the 2007 season, it wouldn't have been out of place for the New York Yankees to have gone after a 30-year-old outfielder who had just brought home his tenth straight Gold Glove.

Instead...they opted to stick with their rotation of Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Bobby Abreu and Melky Cabrera. All they did was combine for a .287 batting average, 54 home runs, 253 RBI and 60 stolen bases.

Andruw Jones, the afore mentioned 30-year-old outfielder, went on to become a shadow of his former self.

Well, here we are, three full seasons later and the Yankees have come around to do what The Hall told you they were looking to do a few weeks ago...ink the former Atlanta Braves superstar to a one-year, $2 million contract Thursday.

Last season with the Chicago White Sox, the five-time All Star batted .230 with 19 home runs in 328 plate appearances.

For his career, Jones is a respectable .256 hitter with 407 home runs and 1222...but dude is a long, long way away from the guy who finished second in MVP voting in 2005.

Yankees Contact Andruw Jones

In an effort to put together the Majors' best 2005 fantasy team...the New York Yankees have, according to Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman, contacted outfielder Andruw Jones.

Last season with the Chicago White Sox, the ten-time Gold Glove Award winner batted .230 with 19 home runs in 328 plate appearances. 

For his career, Jones is a respectable .256 hitter with 407 home runs and 1222...but dude is a long, long way away from the guy who finished second in MVP voting in 2005.

Earlier in the off season, you'll remember, the Yankees snatched up pitcher Mark Prior after they were left at the alter by Cliff Lee.  Prior, who last pitched in the bigs in 2006, was awesome back in 2003.

Similarly, last week it came out that the Bombers were also considering 2005 Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon.

Yes...THAT Bartolo Colon.

I'm not sure what the Yankees are trying to do here.

Sure, the Boston Red Sox broke open the piggy bank to bolster their lineup...but the Tampa Bay Rays have all but given up.

Yankees, if you don't screw it up, you've got a playoff spot already sewn up...and pitchers and catchers don't report for another five weeks.  Why, oh, why, are you trying to go all Al Davis and bring in the heroes of yesteryear?

That said, if Gary Sheffield is looking still looking for a gig...New York could probably talk him out of that "99.9%" retired talk.  And if that doesn't work...I've heard somewhere that Jose Canseco thinks he can still swing a bat.

The Season That Was...July

As the "Year of the Pitcher" hit its midway point...the baseball world lost a boss, saw a hawk soar to new heights and wondered aloud if Matt Stairs is the game's best (pinch) hitter.

Wait...what?!?

On July 7, Matt Stairs went yard against Matt Capps for the 20th time as a pinch hitter. This milestone by Stairs earned him a tie with Cliff Johnson atop the all-time home run list among pinch hitters.

This was Stairs' second homer as a member of his 12th team...the San Diego Padres. His first one of the season (which was hit in May) meant that the Canadien had gone deep for a record eleven different teams...a feat matched only by Todd Zeile.

Andruw Jones Powers His Way into the Record Books

Not so long ago, it appeared that outfielder Andruw Jones was on his way to some level of greatness.

At just 30 years of age, 368 career home runs and ten (yes, ten!) consecutive Gold Gloves on his resume...he landed a gigantic contract to patrol centerfield for the Dodgers.

Now, a couple of seasons removed from that dismal .158 batting average and three home run showing in 238 at bats for Los Angeles, the Curacao native is seemingly a lifetime (and a few pants sizes) away from the wide grinned 19 year-old who, in 1996, became the game’s youngest ever to go deep in a World Series game.

Enter 2010 and prior to this season, in The Hall's American League Central Milestone Preview, the following was written about Jones:

He is 12 home runs away from reaching 400 for his career and still has the pop to, if healthy, accomplish the feat by the All-Star break.

And during Sunday's 15-5 drubbing of the Royals, the current White Sox rightfielder made good on an Anthony Lerew pitch.

"I've been on 398 for a month, two months, so it's nice to get it over with and move on," said Jones after becoming just the 46th player to reach 400 for his career. "I was sitting there for a long time."

Standing in Jones' way on the all-time leaderboard is Hall of Famer Duke Snider at 407.

Another (g)old glove ends up in Chicago

I'm inclined to say something because as recent as 2007, it appeared as Andruw Jones could very well end up in Cooperstown some day.

Then he went to the Dodgers....and we all know how that ended up.

Well, today, the ten-time Gold Glove winner (and, yes, he did win them consecutively) is heading to the Chicago White Sox to resurrect what used to be a Hall of Fame caliber career.

Now, I'm sure some of you are laughing. I mean, how could this bloated shell of what used to be the Majors best centerfielder be the least bit valuable to the Southsiders?

Easy.

He brings veteran leadership to a club that is now lacking Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye and, more than likely, Paul Konerko. Along with fellow former Texas Ranger and newly acquired Omar Vizquel...the Sox have two of the game's best all-time fielders to help mentor their younger players.

Second, thanks to last season's injury to Josh Hamilton, the five-time All-Star appears to still be hungry to play. Sure, he still struck up a bunch (72 times in 331 plate appearances), but nearly a third of his hits were home runs.

Which brings me to this...Jones is 12 longballs shy of 400 for his career. And nothing makes someone turn it up half a notch more than being on the cusp of a milestone.

Lastly, he'll enter the season just short of his 33rd birthday and at only half a million a year...the White Sox actually look smart bringing in a slugger with a fantastic glove to spell Alex Rios and Carlos Quentin in the outfield and whoever ends up playing first.

And if Jones DOESN'T work out...I hear Minnie Minoso is just a phone call away. You see, like Vizquel and Jones...he's old too.

Zing!