ATLANTA -- Instead of annually worrying about the possibility of falling off the ballot, Andruw Jones can now start hoping he’ll continue to be encouraged by Hall of Fame voting results.

Derek Jeter and Larry Walker were this year’s candidates who received the 75 percent of votes needed to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. But Jones has reason to be encouraged by the fact he received votes on 19.7 percent of the ballots cast by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

• Complete 2020 Hall of Fame election results

Jones had never received more than 7.5 percent during his two previous years of eligibility. A player must receive at least 5 percent of votes to remain on the ballot.

Billy Wagner had even more reason to be encouraged when he received 31.7 percent of votes this year. The former closer, who played for Atlanta in 2010, had never received more than 16.7 percent during any of his previous four years on the ballot.

A player can remain on the ballot for 10 years. So, the clock is ticking for Gary Sheffield, who now has four years of eligibility remaining. But Sheffield, who played in Atlanta from 2002-03, also gained a significant bump as he received 30.5 percent of votes this year. He had not received more than 13.6 percent during any of his five previous years of eligibility.

Former Braves shortstop Rafael Furcal, a first-year candidate, did not receive a single vote. Thus, he will not be included on future ballots.

Jones batted .254 with 434 home runs and an .823 OPS over a 17-season career that included 10 Gold Glove Awards, five All-Star appearances and the National League Hank Aaron Award he captured in 2005, when he finished second to Albert Pujols for the NL MVP Award. The only other players to win 10 or more Gold Gloves are Ichiro Suzuki and four Hall of Famers -- Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Al Kaline and Ken Griffey Jr.

Jones, who played 12 seasons for the Braves, had an uneven career that started with a bang and ended with the thud created by the steep decline he experienced late in his career. He produced MLB's third-most Wins Above Replacement, according to FanGraphs, from 1998-2007. The two players who ranked ahead of him within this span were Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez. The player ranked immediately behind him was Chipper Jones, his longtime Braves teammate who was a first-ballot Hall of Fame electee in 2018.