Kingdom

Look at the numbers so far, for 2010. Consider he was a platoon guy to begin with and now has been splitting time between being a DH and an outfielder again.


9 homeruns, 5 steals, .676 slugging

Sounds like AJ circa early 2000's. And obviously, he has enough mobility to be a regular fielder again. Sure, he's striking out a lot, but that's really nothing new to the Jones stat line. He has walked 13 times, so it's not horrific (example of horrific: Cedeno, Ronny). Sadly, for the white sox, only he and Konerko have provided consistency on a team some felt could challenge Minnesota and Detroit in the central.

What has changed? Consider the following things derailed him for a few years: rise in frequency of injuries when he used to be extremely durable; increased gain in weight- I mean he went from this athletic specimen to Bartolo Colon's wing man; and touring as a journeyman. A guy who was well on his way to hitting 500, or really, more than 500 homeruns, as well as being a fixture as the Gold Glove centerfielder (most years, he actually deserved this award compared to a few AL counterparts). It goes along with things he accomplished early in his career, postseason numbers he put up, and being one of the more prolific power hitters in Braves history (notice I did not say most, before anyone got in a tizzy).

I realize, it's the first week of May, but for a guy who used to put up numbers like this on a year to year basis, is he actually back? Will he now go back on a run to be considered a future hall of famer? For now, we can assume he's the most healthy he's been in years. On top of that, he's likely in shape for the first time in years. Or better shape. This leads to two probable conclusions:

He was tired of the jokes and re-committed himself, and was ready to prove himself to the baseball once again.

He was signed by a hard ass, and is coached by a hard ass. You know it's likely that Ozzie and Kenny have been pushing this guy more than anyone since maybe the days of Bobby Cox. We know those two as loud mouths, and never shy away from what they're really thinking. I also believe they have expectations of Andruw, and let him know on a daily basis.

That said, do you believe he's back and this isn't a fluke? And if he's back, will he again become the label of future hall of famer?