Braves legend Chipper Jones named to International League Hall of Fame

The International League announced Tuesday that 1993 IL Rookie of the Year and National Baseball Hall of Famer Chipper Jones, 2000 IL Most Valuable Player Chad Mottola and former IL All-Star first baseman and two-time Governors’ Cup winning manager Johnny Neun will be inducted into the League’s Hall of Fame as members of the Class of 2020.

The three men were elected to the IL Hall by a vote of living Hall of Famers, longtime executives, broadcasters and members of the media.

The members of the Class of 2020 have been added to the International League Hall of Fame plaque display. The new inductees or family members will be presented with “The Curtain Call” statue during individual enshrinement ceremonies yet to be scheduled — Jones induction will happen at Gwinnett’s Coolray Field, home of the Gwinnett Braves.

Before embarking on his legendary career with the Atlanta Braves, Jones turned in an All-Star season for the Richmond Braves in 1993 at the age of 21. Missing only one game all season for the playoff-bound R-Braves, Jones hit .325 with thirteen home runs, 89 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases. He led the International League with 174 hits, twelve triples, and 97 runs scored and was elected as the IL Rookie of the Year.

With Atlanta, Jones went on to be an eight-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger winner, and the 1999 National League MVP. In 2018, Jones was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Mottola spent nine seasons in the International League playing for six different franchises, finishing with just shy of 1,000 hits and 570 RBIs. His career total of 152 home runs places him among the top fifteen sluggers in League history. Mottola’s MLB career included brief stints with the Reds, Blue Jays, Marlins, and Orioles. He is presently the hitting coach for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Neun hit .320 in four seasons as a first baseman in the IL, beginning with his hometown Baltimore Orioles in 1929. Neun helped lead the Newark Bears to three consecutive pennants from 1932-34. He led the circuit in hits and stolen bases in 1932 and was elected an All-Star in 1933. He returned to Newark as manager in 1938, where over a four-year span the Bears won at a .614 clip (381-240) and reached at least the Governors’ Cup finals each season. Neun departed with two pennants and two Governors’ Cup titles, as well as the 1940 Junior World Series championship and later went on to manage the Yankees and Reds. Neun passed away in 1990 at the age of 89.

The IL Hall of Fame, established in 1947, was dormant from 1964 until the League’s 125th Anniversary season in 2008. Following a three-year transition period (2008-10) in which a total of 50 individuals were inducted after having been selected by a committee, the Class of 2020 was the 10th chosen by the current annual election process. Each year the top three vote-getters who also receive a vote on the majority of ballots cast are elected.