Andruw Jones: The most overrated center fielder of all time?

ESPN's Jayson Stark thinks so and builds his case in a new column (and book excerpt) that has already drawn nearly 200 comments, mostly from Braves fans in protest.

Stark is a very good baseball writer, and he has some interesting stats to back up his contention. But, in the end, it's more hyperbole than anything else.

Is Andruw Jones a great center fielder? Most definitely; just ask any pitcher he's played behind. When Jones was a rookie and playing left field, none other than Greg Maddux went up to pitching coach Leo Mazzone and said, "Will you ask Bobby Cox to let that kid play center field when I'm pitching?"

That's a pretty strong endorsement. And here's another. I was hanging out at the batting cage a few years ago when the Giants were in town. Shawon Dunston hit a liner to right-center and said, "That's an Andrew Jones out." I walked over and asked him what he meant. He explained that when some of the players did batting practice, they counted how many "hits" they got. An "Andruw Jones out" was a ball that would typically be a hit ... unless Andruw Jones was playing center field.

Jones is certainly the best I've ever seen play center. Sure, he's slowed a little in the last couple of years, mainly because he plays hurt so often. But he's still the guy I'd want patrolling the outfield if I owned a team.

What do you think? Is he overrated, or is Stark just over-the-top?