<p>When Andruw Jones homered the first two times up in his first World Series game _ a 19-year-old rookie unfazed by the aura of Yankee Stadium _ he set a pretty high bar on the expectations meter.</p><p>To some, that's still the highlight of his career with the Atlanta Braves.</p><p>Despite being a Gold Glove center fielder who usually hits more than 30 homers, averages almost 100 RBIs and shows up ready to play every day, Jones is dogged by the perception that he's never reached the potential he showed on that magical night in the Big Apple.</p><p>The Braves have no complaints about Jones' production in the eight seasons since the 1996 World Series, but general manager John Schuerholz knows that some outside the organization are less favorable.</p><p>"I think it's unfair and unrealistic to put such high expectations on a 19-year-old who hit two home runs at Yankee Stadium," Schuerholz said. "You can't establish that as a baseline and expect him to go up from there."</p><p>But even Jones concedes that he needs to improve on last season, especially since he'll likely bat cleanup in a Braves' lineup that hardly looks imposing.</p><p>With that in mind, he took up an offer from teammate John Smoltz to take part in a strenuous offseason program _ four hours a day, three times a week. Jones also installed a batting cage and pitching machine at his suburban Atlanta home, allowing him to work on a wider batting stance that he used while coming through the minors.</p><p>"I had success with that through my minor-league career," Jones said. "Sometimes, you have to go back to the basics, the stuff you used to do all the time."</p><p>Jones studied tapes from the early days, noticing that he once batted with his legs farther apart. That stance gave him better bat control, something the Braves have stressed to cut down on his strikeouts.</p><p>A notoriously streaky hitter, Jones struggled much of last season _ so much that manager Bobby Cox set up extra batting practice in which the right-handed hitter was told to go the opposite way with every pitch.</p><p>Jones put up respectable numbers, but the .261 average was his lowest in three seasons, while the 29 homers and 91 RBIs were his worst output since 1999. Most troubling, he had a career-high 147 strikeouts.</p><p>Cox is encouraged by what he's seen in the early days of spring training.</p><p>"He looks good," the manager said. "His swing is so much better. He's got less stride. He's spread out more. He's letting the ball get to him."</p><p>Jones also looks trimmer than the last few years coming into spring. He's still at 229 pounds _ close to his usual playing weight _ but feels much stronger.</p><p>"I didn't try to get bigger muscles, but I feel strong inside, the little muscles," he said. "When I need to push harder, I'll be ready for that. I wasn't trying to be a bodybuilder, but I worked hard."</p><p>Jones doesn't pay attention to those who say he's squandering his true abilities. Since becoming a starter in 1997, he's averaged 31 homers and 94 RBIs a season. He's won seven straight Gold Gloves. On average, he's missed only four games a year.</p><p>Not too shabby.</p><p>"The main thing for me is to stay consistent," Jones said. "I want to give my team the same thing they got the previous year. That's to play 162 games, get my usual number of homers and RBIs, and have them know I'll go out there and sacrifice every day.</p><p>"I don't want them saying, 'Hey, we're not sure if Andruw is ready to play today.' No, they can count on me every day."</p><p>The Braves say that mind-set is just fine with them.</p><p>"With his combination of offense and defense, we're very happy with what he's given us," Schuerholz said. "He works hard at his game, he plays hard and no one wants to win more than Andruw Jones.</p><p>"Nobody."</p>
