Andruw Jones

No speed and no youth for Chicago White Sox as they signed one year contract with outfielder Andruw Jones. There are some concerns whether he can prove himself a valuable asset for Sox or not. In 2007 season he left the Braves and after that his performance level is on a steep decline but Sox signed him rather cheaply with a base salary of $500,000 and up to $1 million in possible performance bonuses.

Jones, 32, made stunning appearance to hit home runs in his first two World Series at bats in the 1996 Fall Classic against New York Yankees to became the first National League player to achieve that, it was his first season as the youngest player in the majors. With his arrival at White Sox, future of Scott Podsednik and Jim Thome is uncertain. Jones probably fill up the extra outfield and the DH spot which he did last year in Texas.

Jones has a career batting average of .257 with 388 home runs and 1,174 RBIs. He was 10 time Gold Glove and five time All Star winner with the Braves. Seven times he hit 30 or more homers and five times he had 100 plus RBI.

White Sox general manager Ken Williams said,

“This is an opportunity to add a power bat to the roster while improving our outfield depth,”

He added,

“With the addition of Andruw, Mark Kotsay and Omar Vizquel, we feel our bench is taking shape to be a strong asset heading into the 2010 season.”