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Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I've been head-over-heels for Chipper Jones' sweet swing since I was 10 years old. ...That sentence may have dated me a bit since I was introduced to his bat his rookie season on TBS while he was called up to replace Rafael Belliard for one or two games at short, the year the Braves lost the World Series while I furiously waved my Homer Hanky. Not only is the 36-year-old third baseman hands-down the best switch-hitter since Eddie Murray and Mickey Mantle, (I said it) but his defense continues to shine after 17 years in the game. Last season he put out a .958 fielding percentage over 115 games. But wait, there's more. Chipper also sometimes has power! He aided Team USA in their 9-6 victory over the reigning World Champion Philadelphia Phillies Thursday, nailing a three-run shot in the third inning off Kyle Kendrick. Though a homer by Jones is always smokin' hot, in this case it was not as sweet since it was the fourth straight hit off the righty. Bad day for Kyle. But that was just one, and the most recent example of the life-long Brave's awesomeness at the plate. Over the last 14 straight seasons, he's hit at least 20 bombs, his most coming in 1999 when he hit 45. That will never happen again, but hey. 20 homers are 20 homers, especially when you're pushing 40. Last year he boasted the highest on-base percentage in the game with .470 while grabbing the NL (and MLB) batting title with a .364 average, flirting with .400 for much of the beginning of the season. I don't see Chipper being the 2009 batting champ with the likes of Fat Elvis and a healthy Prince Albert in the same league, but don't count him out of the race. He's as sharp now as he was 15 years ago, and his .310 career average shows it. He's also a swell guy! Sure, he may have impregnated a Hooters waitress at one point in his career (we all make mistakes) but he's far from a pretentious a-hole. Last year, Jones released "Chipper Chardonnay", a wine which 100% of its proceeds go to support the Miracle League, an organization serving children with disabilities. What a guy. Chipper Jones as your starting third baseman is a no-brainer. But just in case he breaks a hip or sucks from a broken heart by missing John Smoltz too much, you should probably snag a backup. Trackback(0)
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As for Chipper- I agree with you and I seem to write (or think about) this same article every year.
Age is not a factor when it comes to Chipper- because he is human he doesn't follow a specific trend of numbers or anything like that. Each player must be individually examined and Chipper has told me himself that he's a better hitter than he's ever been. Sure his average will regress to .335 this year, but it will come with a little more power now that his shoulder has had time to heal.