JONES: FIVE-TOOL PATIENCE; YOUNG BRAVES STAR WAITS FOR HIS OPPORTUNITY.

Byline: Paul NewBerry Associated Press 

This is a good day for Andruw Jones.

As he saunters into the spacious clubhouse beneath Turner Field - a bat clutched in one hand, a gold chain and medallion dangling from his neck, the sinewy arms exposed by a sleeveless undershirt - Jones can't hold back a broad, toothy grin.

He has just seen the starting lineup scrawled on a board around the corner, and his name is on it.

``I was always an everyday player,'' Jones said, smiling again. ``Every team I played on, I always played every day. Now . . . .''

No one could have guessed last October, when a 19-year-old Jones homered in his first World Series game to erase Mickey Mantle's name from the record book, that Jones would treasure playing time so much at age 20.

``A bunch of guys went through this kind of situation,'' he said. ``Some had success and went right away to the starting lineup when they came up here. Some didn't. I've just got to be patient.''

No one thought Jones would have to wait. He's supposed to be the Caribbean cross between Mantle and Hank Aaron, a five-tool athlete who dominated the minor leagues. The Braves called him up late last season, and his legend grew when he homered in his first two at-bats at Yankee Stadium to eclipse Mantle as the youngest player to homer in the World Series.

Of course, there were signs that Jones wouldn't be able to dominate the majors right away. He hit .217 in 31 regular-season games last season, and he struggled at spring training before a strong finish guaranteed him a spot on the team.

``It's not as easy as most people think,'' said Jones, a native of Curacao, an island off Venezuela. ``It's hard to stay focused. It's hard to keep your concentration.''

This waiting period is not entirely the fault of Jones, whose playing time is limited mostly to when the Braves face left-handed pitching. He was hitting a respectable .278 with four homers, 15 RBI and nine stolen bases through midweek.

The Braves made a trade with the Kansas City Royals just days before the season opener to acquire Michael Tucker, who was expected to be a pinch-hitter and fourth outfielder. Instead, Tucker has kept his average above .300 most of the season to become a virtual full-time starter.

The Atlanta outfield also includes Kenny Lofton - perhaps the best leadoff hitter in baseball - and Ryan Klesko, who hit a team-high 34 homers last season.

``There ain't nothing wrong with Andruw,'' said Clarence Jones, the Braves' hitting coach. ``He's still a good ballplayer. . . . We've got time to bring him along slow.''

Of course, just try preaching patience to a 20-year-old who's been a star for most of his young life. He wants to play, and he wants to play now.

``For the most part, he's fine,'' said pitcher Tom Glavine, gazing at Jones' locker just a few feet away. ``But you can see it . . . coming in here from time to time, that he's down about things or he's a little bit cranky.

``On days like that, it's up to me or some other guys who've been around here to joke around with him a little bit and pump him up a little bit or get his mind off it, make him realize this isn't that big a deal.''

With three other quality outfielders, Clarence Jones figures the Braves can afford to give their star pupil a chance to learn the finer points of the game without being expected to produce big numbers in the middle of the batting order.

One priority: getting him to use his enormous strength to hit the ball to all corners of the ballpark rather than trying to pull every pitch.

``This is a great learning experience for him,'' the hitting coach said. ``He can sit back and he can watch some things, watch the way pitchers work different guys. I think in the long run, it's going to be to his advantage.''

There's another, more-subtle lesson in the Education of Andruw. He's learning to deal with adversity, which is inherent in a sport where even the best hitters fail about seven times out of 10.

Glavine, who lost 17 games as a rookie in 1988, believes this little bump in the road will work wonders for Jones on his inevitable path to superstardom.

``I don't know that it's been a struggle as much as it's just been a different script than what everybody had written,'' Glavine said. ``Andruw Jones is going to be a superstar in this game. No doubt about it. He's going to be as a good as he wants to be.''

For now, Jones will have to wait.

``Being a superstar in baseball is something that's not so easy,'' he said.

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2 Photos

Photo: (1) Andruw Jones, the Braves' 20-year-old standout, practices patience this year.

Associated Press

(2) ANDRUW JONES: Young star waits for his turn to shine in the major leagues