Former All-Star outfielder Andruw Jones is reportedly looking to make a return to Major League Baseball.
According to Jones’ agent Scott Boras, speaking to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN, the 10-time Gold Glover wants to be given a shot after spending the last two years in Japan:
“He wants to play in the big leagues again,” Boras said. “He’s still got his power. If you can hit 25 home runs in Japan, you’re doing something.”
Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe first reported that Jones was looking to make an MLB comeback, writing that Boras “claims there are at least two teams interested” in using his client in platoon situations or as a designated hitter.
Jones last played in the big leagues with the New York Yankees in 2012, hitting .197/.294/.408 in 94 games. Since 2013, Jones has played with the Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan’s Pacific League, hitting 50 home runs with a .392 on-base percentage in 281 games.
As Jordan Gorosh of Baseball Prospectus astutely pointed out on Twitter, Jones’ numbers in Japan are basically what Jack Cust did in the big leagues:
The way Jones’ first run in MLB ended doesn’t provide hope that he will turn into a quality hitter, though being able to show the kind of power he did in Japan is impressive because the parks are usually bigger. He’s going to be 38 years old in April and hasn’t faced big league pitching in two years.
If Jones can get in shape and show something in a potential workout for teams, he will get a shot since it won’t cost much to sign him and teams are always looking for right-handed power. It’d be nice to put a good bow on his career instead of the way it seemed to end two years ago.
Stats via Baseball-Reference.com
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com