Chipper Jones = First-ballot HoF'er

[cheekimonk]

There was a time that I doubted people saying that. It seemed like his entire eligibility rested on the fact that he was a switch hitter (i.e., every flashy number he had was clarified with "among switch hitters"). But I think he's a slam dunk now.

Chipper Jones will retire as one of the greatest third-basemen ever

[mrbornac]

That is a very good argument. I too have had my doubts, but the case seems pretty clear to me.

[recte44]

Yeah, I have no problem with Larry getting in on the first ballot.

[recte44]

From Buster Olney's column (yeah, it's behind the pay wall, so sue me....):

FT. MYERS, Fla. -- The topic was milestones and Chipper Jones was asked the other day if there was any number -- any statistical standard -- that he still wanted. He has 454 homers, 2,615 hits, 1,561 runs scored and 1,561 RBIs.

Jones stood up from his locker in the visitors' clubhouse at the Tigers' camp, and he began walking toward the door, carrying two bats.

Over his shoulder, he answered that yeah, he could theoretically stick around and hit the 46 homers he needs to reach 500 for his career. But his tone was dismissive, and he steered the conversation into something he is more interested in now, at age 39: Watching his kids play sports.

We know now that the day before, he had told Atlanta Braves general manager Frank Wren that he intends to retire after this season. Jones still feels he can be a productive hitter, but he is wary of the questions about his future, and the nagging injuries that have limited him to 221 games in the last two seasons aren't going away.

Assuming that Jones doesn't change his mind, his name will appear on the Hall of Fame ballot in December 2017, and he is an easy first-ballot selection. A no-brainer. To not vote for him, in fact, would be inexcusable.


His career résumé is spotless.

Big numbers? Check.

One of the greatest ever at his position? Check. Among third basemen, he'd be ranked somewhere with Mike Schmidt and George Brett.

A period of dominance in his career, when he's among the best players in his league? Check. He won the MVP in 1999 and was in the top 11 in the MVP voting in seven consecutive seasons.

Team success? Check. The guy lived in the playoffs at the outset of his career and clubbed 23 homers in his rookie season when the Braves won the World Series. Jones has 412 plate appearances in his career in the playoffs and Fall Classic.

PED clearance? Check. In a time of shifting and loose Hall of Fame standards, a huge block of writers won't vote for anyone suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs, and Jones -- like Ken Griffey Jr. and Derek Jeter -- has gone through his career without whispers following him.

Jones has served the sport extraordinarily well, in how he has played and how he has carried himself.

Chipper wants to work with the team after he retires, writes David O'Brien. He wanted to get this over with.

After talking with Jones the other day, I walked away convinced that some day he will be a hitting coach in the big leagues. He loves talking about hitting and problem-solving with a swing, in the same way that Tony Gwynn does.

A rival pitcher says Jones is an easy Hall of Famer. With Chipper retiring, New York Mets pitchers are catching a break, writes Benjamin Hoffman.

Chipper Jones
Where Chipper Jones ranks all time among switch hitters (minimum 1,000 games played).

Stat Jones Rank
BA .304 2nd
OBP .402 4th
Slug pct .533 3rd
HR 454 3rd
RBI 1,561 2nd
Runs 1,561 5th
Games played 2,387 10th
Total bases 4,579 3rd
From ESPN Stats and Info, more on Jones:

• Selected by the Braves first overall in 1990 draft
• 1999 National League MVP
• 1995 World Series champion
• Seven-time All-Star (1996-98, 2000-01, 2008, 2011)
• Two-time Silver Slugger (1999-2000)
• Among active players, only Jones and Derek Jeter have played at least 2,300 games while playing for only one team

[jiminyhopkins]

Gotta love Chipper. A Pro's Pro. True Gamer. The essence of baseball.

[cheekimonk]

Gotta love Chipper. A Pro's Pro. True Gamer. The essence of baseball.

He wasn't when he first came up. In fact, he had "flameout" written all over him...not physically, but mentally (think Jeff Francoeur). He was very fortunate that he landed on a team with Smoltz, Maddux, Glavine, Terry Pendleton (his rookie year), and Fred McGriff. There was a core that kept that Braves dugout focused and did not put up with prima donnas or slackers. Many Atlanta fans think they would have won more titles if the clubhouse had been more loose and there's an argument for that I guess. They certainly dealt away a lot of talent because the guys couldn't adapt to the clubhouse: David Justice, Marquis Grissom, Andruw Jones (though that turned out to be brilliant), Yunel Escobar, Francoeur, and so on.

Anyway, point is that he had a public image that was rough around the edges to say the least, but he took it to heart when the older guys told him what he needed to change to have a long career. He's turned out to be, like you said, a Pro's Pro. Not an emotional favorite of mine, but tons of respect.