Smoltz says other Braves deserve Cooperstown consideration

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. - After this weekend, six members of the great Atlanta Braves teams from the 1990s will be Baseball Hall of Famers: manager Bobby Cox, executive John Schuerholz pitchers Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Greg Maddux, and soon-to-be-inducted third baseman Chipper Jones. Still, one of those players thinks there should be a few more.

"[Chipper going in] completes the cycle," said Smoltz, "even though we believe, selfishly, Andruw Jones and Fred McGriff deserve way more credit than they're given right now."

Jones and McGriff are on the Hall of Fame ballot but have never been on the 75 percent or more of ballots needed to get into the hall. According to Baseball Reference, McGriff was on 23.2 percent of ballots in 2018, while Jones was on just 7.3 percent.

"Andruw is, for me personally, the most important commodity that I had because I was a fly ball pitcher, and he's the best center fielder I've ever seen," said Smoltz.

Still, on Chipper Jones' induction weekend, there's a feeling of family as the former teammates and their manager are reunited in baseball's hallowed Hall.

"I know people around here are tired of hearing about the Braves coming in, but it's kind of really full-circle now," said Smoltz. "It'll probably hit more when we get down the road, come back and realize how special it really is."