Two players in Major League Baseball history have ever retired with the following career numbers: Avg. > .300, OBP > .400, 450+ HR, and 100+ SB. Those two players: Babe Ruth and Lou Gherig. Assuming that Chipper Jones can keep his career .304 avg and .402 OBP above those benchmarks, he will join that elite club. His career WAR of 82.7 ranks seventh all time for third-basemen, and Chipper put up a WAR of 3.5 or higher in 13 consecutive seasons from 1996 to 2008. Yesterday, Chipper announced that the 2012 season will be his last.
Despite all of the above numbers, Chipper Jones has been rarely recognized for his accomplishments. While he did win the NL MVP 1999, Jones only made seven All-Star games, starting in five of those seven games. While being elected to start an All-Star game is a popularity contest of sorts, making the squad usually occurs when you are putting up the numbers Chipper was. The most ridiculous All-Star snub came in 1999, the year Chipper won the NL MVP, after his ridiculous season of .319/.441/.633 with 45 HR and 110 RBI. Chipper suffered from bad luck in not being recognized as well, his 2002-2003 snubs, when Chipper put up a stat line of .316/.419/.527 with 53 HR and 206 RBI, were during his brief stint in LF after the Braves signed Vinny Castilla. The incumbent All-Star and Silver Slugger in LF at that time was Barry Bonds who was putting up gaudy numbers of his own. In six separate seasons Jones received votes for NL MVP, but was not selected to the All-Star Game (1995, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2006, and 2007 respectively). Chipper won 2 silver slugger awards, despite his 8 seasons ranking in the top 10 of Offensive WAR. The aforementioned Vinny Castilla, has 3 Silver Slugger Awards in his trophy case for comparison. In 2001, despite hitting .330/.427/.605 with 38 HR and 102 RBI, Jones was denied a Silver Slugger award thanks to some 21 year old rookie for the Cardinals named Albert Pujols. In 2008 Jones had the best batting average (.364), the best OBP (.470), and the second best OPS (1.044) in Major League Baseball while tacking on 22 HR and 75 RBI in just 128 games, but did not win the Silver Slugger Award. Instead it went to David Wright who had a batting average 62 points lower and an OPS 120 points lower than Jones.
Chipper Jones' prime just happened to fall in the steroid era of baseball, an unfortunate occurrence for one of the games most underrated and all-time greatest players. Jones trails only Alex Rodriguez (14x AS, 10x SS), Mike Schmidt (12x AS, 6x SS), Eddie Mathews (9x AS), Wade Boggs (12x AS, 8x SS), Brooks Robinson (15x AS), and George Brett (13x AS, 3x SS) in WAR for a third-baseman all time. Chipper is arguably the best switch-hitter behind the great Mickey Mantle. The point is, Chipper Jones quietly put together a great and under-appreciated career by a majority of people, myself included. Chipper Jones will have a chance in 2018 to become a first ballot Hall of Famer, a perfect opportunity to amend for all of the years without being properly recognized by his peers, coaches, media, and fans.
Stats referenced from: www.baseball-reference.com
... I approve. First ballot for sure.
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