Andruw Jones to share advice, experience at Augusta Area High School Sports Awards

In what would've been Andruw Jones' senior year of high school, he was busy dominating the South Atlantic League as a member of the Macon Braves.

The 18-year-old center fielder from Curaçao had 71 extra-base hits and 56 stolen bases over 139 games, all while finding his way in a new country.

While his path to success was different than most of what we're accustomed to in the United States, he says high school athletes today have a chance to accomplish something greater. Jones will share his advice and experiences as the guest speaker at the Augusta Area High School Sports Awards show Tuesday evening.

“Well, first of all, Congrats to all of them. You know, to get to that point on receiving the achievement," he said. "Second of all, probably all those kids get the chance to finish high school and a lot of kids, you know, growing up don't get a chance to finish. They’re trying to go chase a career real early and not trying to get to that degree and I think a lot of people wanted to go and do their stuff, like be a professional.”

More: Andruw Jones to speak at Augusta Area HSSA on May 17 at Columbia County Performing Arts Center

After 17 seasons in the big leagues and two in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball League, Jones aims to remind young stars that an athletic career won't last forever and the opportunity at an education is just as, if not more, important.

“You know, I had an opportunity to leave the island at an early age and not finish high school. So, those things are very important to me. To speak out to kids that you need that education," he said. "If you don't get an education, you're going to be lost out there. Sport is fun and all that stuff, you know, whatever career you choose is fun, but you need the education to be a better person in the world.”

The student athletes being honored Tuesday night are the best in their respective sports and some have been in a relative spotlight since their middle school days. Being a young athlete surrounded by high expectations is a difficult task, especially in the age of social media.

Jones was a top prospect, which means he dealt with high expectations long before hitting home runs in Yankee Stadium in the 1996 World Series. He said while they come with the territory, it's important for a young athlete to keep their focus on what they can control.

“I mean, expectation is going to come as always when you're a good player, you know, everybody's going to have expectations. When you're a good player, you’ve got to learn how to deal with those things. You need to learn how to put those expectations aside and go out and be yourself and help your team. I think if you're good, if you're a good teammate, everything is going to work out in the right way," he said.

“Whenever everybody has so many expectations on you, you're going to press yourself and then you're going end up being a bad teammate and things aren’t going to work out. So I've I always felt like, you know, I want to be a good teammate and I want to help my team in any way I can.”

Jones has lived the athlete side of the experience, now he's living the parent side of it. His son, Druw, plays baseball at the Wesleyan School in Peachtree Corners and is considered one of the top high school position player prospects in the 2022 class. He's also a Vanderbilt commit.

As the son of a five-time MLB All-Star, who also happens to play center field in the heart of Braves country, that's not the easiest thing to live up to.

Being the parent of a student athlete (or a teenager, in general) can be a tricky thing, as there's a balance between knowing when to help out or when to take a step back. Jones said he tries to do a bit of both, but said it ultimately has to come down his son's decision.

“I think what kids need from their parents, most of it is just to support, be there for them, support them any way you can. Because you know, at 18, 17 years old, those kids already start having their own mindset. They’re grown and they still might be your child, but they’re grown they want to have their own life and move on," he said.

"So my thing on my side is you know I'm trying to tell you what's wrong or what's right and it's up to you to accept which one you want to go with. I mean most of the parents are so strict with the kids and that as soon as they get that opportunity to slip away, that's why they're going to go and do the opposite thing that you told them to do.”

It's noteworthy that Jones will have been retired nearly a decade by the time the Class of 2022 graduates, so many of the honorees may have never seen him play in-person. The chance to hear his advice in-person, however, may end up being more valuable.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Atlanta Braves legend Andruw Jones will speak at Augusta Sports Awards