Jones was a noted defensive specialist for most of his career and won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award for outfielders every year from through He had a strong throwing arm in addition to his elite fielding. In the World Series , he became the youngest player ever to hit a home run in the postseason, and just the second player ever to homer in his first two World Series at-bats. The following season, Jones finished fifth in voting for Rookie of the Year. From to , he continued to increase his offensive production, and in , Jones batted.
Jones started to draw many comparisons to Willie Mays and was considered one of the top center fielders in baseball. He proved to be a top defensive player, leading all center fielders in putouts and total zone runs five years in a row from to In , he again hit over 30 home runs and drove in runs but his average dipped to.
Jones improved with All-Star seasons in and , but in , he failed to hit at least 30 home runs for the first time since and exceeded strikeouts, which became a regular occurrence thereafter. In subsequent seasons, his average continued to dip and his strikeouts increased.
After a productive season in , including a career- high RBIs, in Jones had his weakest season to that point, batting just. During his time with Atlanta, Jones became one of the youngest players in MLB history to reach career home runs. However, Jones struggled with the Dodgers, batting just.
Shortly after the season, Jones was released. Jones concluded his MLB career with brief stints for the Rangers, White Sox, and Yankees, transitioning from a center fielder to designated hitter and a fourth outfielder role. While with the White Sox, Jones hit his th career home run.
