VERO BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Andruw Jones just didn’t look right in that Dodgers uniform, at least in the eyes of his former manager.
“He looked better in a Braves uniform,” Bobby Cox said.
After a decade as Atlanta’s center fielder, a position he handles about as well as anyone who’s played the game, Jones traded in one shade of blue for another. On Thursday, the 10-time Gold Glover made his spring debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers – against his former team, no less.
Jones, looking to bounce back from one of the worst seasons of his career, signed a $36.2 million, two-year contract with the Dodgers after the only team he’d ever played for decided against trying to keep him.
“Everything is fine,” Jones said in the Dodgers clubhouse before the game. “Baseball is baseball. It doesn’t really matter who you’re playing for.”
During batting practice, Jones walked over to say hello to his former manager and teammates with the Braves.
“You’re looking good, man,” Cox said, sticking out his hand.
Jones also chatted with outfielder Jeff Francoeur and catcher Brian McCann, but he didn’t get a chance to catch up with longtime Braves third baseman Chipper Jones – or any of the starting infielders, for that matter. The Braves left those players back at their Disney World complex.
“They have a lot of young guys I really don’t know,” Andruw Jones said.
Batting fifth for new Dodgers manager Joe Torre, Jones seemed intent on sending a message in his first at-bat. Frequently criticized in Atlanta for being too much of a free swinger, he stood patiently at the plate, the bat resting on his shoulder, while Tim Hudson tried to catch the outside corner with fastballs.
Hudson’s pitches were just off the mark, and Jones – going for style points with his white wraparound sunglasses – trotted down to first with a walk.
“Obviously, he was not going up there to hit,” Hudson joked. “There were some pitches that were just off the plate. Normally, he’s falling down swinging at those.”
On a more serious note, Jones does hope to be more patient at the plate. The Dodgers are counting on him to produce closer to the monster numbers he put up in 2005-06 (92 homers, 257 RBIs), rather than his miserable farewell season in Atlanta.
Jones batted just .222, his lowest average since he was a rookie in 1996. His 26 home runs were his fewest since 1997. He did drive in 94 runs, but finished with a paltry .311 on-base percentage and struck out 138 times, the third-highest total of his career.
Some wondered if Jones, still only 30, was aging early. He’s already played 1,761 regular-season games – never fewer than 153 in a full season – and abused his body with all those diving catches and wall-banging grabs.
Jones said it was just an aberration. He figures there are plenty of good seasons left.
“I was solid all those years,” Jones said. “I had not been through something like that. I’m trying to learn from that stuff. I think it’s going to help me in the long run.”
Maybe a few extra pounds will help, too.
Jones reported to his last spring training with the Braves weighing what he did early in his career. But the slimmer physique clearly didn’t help him at the plate, so he’s back up to 235 pounds – about 10 pounds heavier – for his first year with the Dodgers.
“I don’t want to make excuses,” he said. “I just wanted to get back to the way I was feeling before.”
rst – an automatic out.
The next inning, Jones threw an arm around Kemp as they walked off the field. Then the two of them stopped briefly to chat with third-base coach Larry Bowa.
Jones kept his home in Atlanta, and was seen sitting courtside at an NBA game just days before he reported to Vero Beach. Maybe he’ll return to the Braves some day, much like Tom Glavine, who’s back with his original team after five years with the New York Mets.
But Jones insisted he’s perfectly comfortable with the Dodgers. At spring training, he’s got a locker right beside another former Atlanta player, shortstop Rafael Furcal.
“It’s an exciting thing to be close to him again,” Furcal said. “He’s like a brother.”
Furcal said his former-turned-current teammate asked for the adjacent stall. Not so, countered Jones, though it’s hard to tell when he’s being serious and when he’s just kidding around.
He tries to come across as petulant and aloof, but it’s mostly a facade. He’s actually one of the more personable, accessible guys in the clubhouse once you get past the bluster.
Now, he’s trying out his routine with a new team.
“It’s just baseball,” Jones said. “I’m having to make a bit of an adjustment. Things are run a little differently here than they were in Atlanta. But that’s it.”
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