Chipper Jones
From BR Bullpen
Larry Wayne Jones
(Chipper)
- Bats Both, Throws Right
- Height 6' 3", Weight 228 lb.
- High School Bolles School
- Debut September 11, 1993
- Born April 24, 1972 in DeLand, FL USA
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[edit] Biographical Information
Chipper Jones has played 18 seasons in the major leagues through 2011, mostly as a third baseman and all with the Atlanta Braves. He was the National League MVP in 1999 and the National League batting champion in 2008. By at least one measure, Jones was the best hitter in the National League in 2007 - he led the NL in Adjusted OPS+, an overall measure of how good a hitter is. Although it was his first time ever leading the league in OPS+, his mark of 166 was not his career best; he had posted an OPS+ of 168 in 1999, and he would go on to record an OPS+ of 174 in 2008.
Through age 38, he has 436 lifetime major league home runs and a 145 Adjusted OPS, which puts him at # 49 on the all-time list and two points above the 143 Adjusted OPS of another Braves third baseman, Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews.
He was the first overall pick in the 1990 amateur draft. He is the all-time National League leader in home runs by a switch hitter, and the career leader for home runs all hit under a single manager, Bobby Cox. In 2006, he had extra-base hits in 14 straight games, tying the major league record set 79 years prior by Paul Waner.
Inspired by his hot hitting at Shea Stadium, Jones named his son Shea.
Through 2008, there are four Hall of Famers on the list of the most similar players, but all of the others on the list are still eligible for election. Nobody has a similarity score as high as 900, though, showing that Chipper is becoming a unique player.
Bill James did a comparison of Chipper Jones and Eddie Mathews in the most recent (2010) Bill James Gold Mine, with Jones coming out quite favorably.
Jones tore his left ACL while making a throw to first base mid-way through the 2010 season, putting his future in jeopardy. However, he underwent surgery and successfully returned to the Braves lineup for the start of the 2011 season. This marked his first time playing under a manager other than Bobby Cox. In April, he reached 1,500 career RBI, doing so on a homer off Randy Choate. He became the third switch-hitter to that mark, following Mickey Mantle (1,509) and Eddie Murray (1,917). However, he suffered a tear in his right knee on May 14th. He was off to a good start, having started 35 of the team's first 39 games at 3B, and was hitting .275 with 4 homers and 27 RBI when the injury occured. He decided to forego surgery and was back in the Braves' line-up two days later, having received a cortisone shot. He finished the year with a .275 average in 126 games, with 33 doubles, 18 homers and 70 RBI. The season ended on a down note for the team, as a 10-20 record over the last month cost the Braves the NL Wild Card on the season's last day.
Jones suffered a scare during the following off-season when he fell into a hole while hunting deer in Kansas in November. He limped back one mile to his vehicle after hearing something pop in his knee. but it turned out to be only scar tissue, and with a bit of rest, he was ready for spring training in 2012.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 1995 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
- 7-time NL All-Star (1996-1998, 2000, 2001, 2008 & 2011)
- NL MVP (1999)
- 2-time NL Silver Slugger Award Winner (1999/3B & 2000/3B)
- NL Batting Average Leader (2008)
- NL On-Base Percentage Leader (2008)
- NL OPS Leader (2007)
- 20-Home Run Seasons: 14 (1995-2008)
- 30-Home Run Seasons: 6 (1996, 1998-2001 & 2004)
- 40-Home Run Seasons: 1 (1999)
- 100 RBI Seasons: 9 (1996-2003 & 2007)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 8 (1996-2001, 2003 & 2007)
- Won a World Series with the Atlanta Braves in 1995
| NL MVP | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
| Sammy Sosa | Chipper Jones | Jeff Kent |
[edit] Records Held
- Home runs, National League, switch-hitter, season, 45, 1999
- Home runs, National League, switch-hitter, 454
- Most consecutive games, extra-base hits, 14 (tied with Paul Waner), 2007
- Most consecutive seasons leading off career, 20-home run seasons, 14 (tied with Eddie Mathews)
