Fear Not Braves Fans, Chipper Jones to Return in 2012

In case you were in panic mode that Chipper Jones might change his mind about finishing out the three-year, $42 million contract extension he signed back in 2009, you can calm the hell down.

The long-time Atlanta Braves third baseman reiterated his intention to stick it out through the 2012 season Wednesday night after his team polished off their epic collapse to lose the National League Wild Card bid.

Upon a more-than-disappointing 2010 season in which he hinted at retirement while limited to just 95 games due to injury, the 39-year-old Jones bounced back in 2011. Although he was hurt more this year, he was named to the NL All-Star team for the seventh time in his 18-year career and finished the season batting .275 with 18 homers and 70 RBI over 126 games.

Jones, set to make $13 million next season with a $7 million team option for 2013, had these words of wisdom to close out the 2011 season:

Be Still My Heart

Chipper Jones and the Atlanta Braves have inked a three-year, $42 million contract extension through 2012, including an option that could make the deal worth up to $61 million over the next four seasons. This can pretty much guarantee that the 36-year-old hot corner will enjoy his entire playing career in a Braves uniform.

Last season's NL batting champ is due $10 million this season along with a $3 million signing bonus.

A six-time All-Star, Chipper's .310 career batting average ranks second among switch-hitters, just behind Hall of Famer Frankie Frisch’s .316. His 408 career homers trail only Mickey Mantle (536) and Eddie Murray (504) in longballs by a switch-hitter, but he's the only switch-hitter with at least 300 home runs and a .300 career batting average.

Long story short, he's awesome.

[AP] | [Talking Chop] | [Sports Crack]

Oh My God, Oh My God, Oh My God, Oh My God

Little did I know at the tender age of 12 -- the year I fell madly in love with Chipper Jones' switch-hitting swing -- I would be lucky enough to see him earn his first batting title, 14 years later.

Hot.

Knock It Off

Dear Chipper,

Stop hurting yourself. It's freaking me out.

Love,

Sooze

[AP] | [Fantasy Fanatics] | [Braves Info]

Get Well Soon, Larry Wayne Jones

The future father of my children Chipper Jones re-aggravated his strained right quad during Friday's 10-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners and is expected to miss at least the next couple of games.

Jones, whose batting average dipped below .400 for the first time in 10 weeks after an 0-for-4 Thursday, left in the top of the eighth even though he hurt himself while scoring in the fourth. He leads the big leagues with a .390 batting average and has 16 homers and 45 RBIs over 67 games this season. Man, I love that guy.

Also injured in Friday's game was shortstop Yunel Escobar, who made his exit in the ninth with a strained right hip flexor. He's listed as day-to-day.

Update: There's no stopping Chipper Jones. He hits even when he doesn't play. Prime example: his pinch-hit RBI single in the eighth Saturday against the Mariners.

[TSN]

Toughest Man Ever Named Chipper

After a freak batting cage accident in which Chipper Jones ricocheted a foul ball off a metal bar and straight back into his beautiful face, leaving him with a shiner, he was ready to play the very next day.

Yep, he almost poked an eye out, yet he's totally prepared to resume chasing Ted Williams' illustrious 1941 season. Tough as nails, I tell ya.

The Atlanta Braves hot corner was back in the lineup Saturday, going 0-for-3 with an RBI and 2 walks, bringing his big league-best batting average to .409.

In other Braves news, Tom Glavine will be sidelined until at least the All-Star break with an injured elbow. As for the team's other injured veteran, John Smoltz underwent his shoulder surgery earlier the week, ending his season and possibly his career.

[Atlanta JC]

Voodoo Sabermetrics: Chipper Jones

Welcome to our sixth edition of Voodoo Sabermetrics. This week we break down one of the most awesome players ever, #10. Chipper Jones.

Sooze, Babes Love Baseball

Jolliness - Well, he isn't called Chipper for his jollity, this much I know. We'll let Extra P. cover that base, though. But if happiness were a batting average, Jones would be all smiles. Heading into tonight's game against the Cincinnati Reds, the life-long Atlanta Braves switching-hitting badass is batting .418 with 14 longballs and 39 RBIs on the season, after smoking career homer #400 Thursday night.

Chipper gets a George Clooney on the jollity scale. The man is like a fine wine: the older he gets, the better he is and the more jolly he makes this girl.

Chipper Jones is so Awesome at Baseball

Sigh.

Chipper Jones smoked career home run #400 on a 4-for-5 night Friday against the Florida Marlins, aiding his Atlanta Braves in a 7-5 victory and spiking his big league-best batting average from .409 to an even more incredible .418 with his 14th home run and 39th RBI of the season.

Chasing Ted Williams' illustrious 1941 season, Jones became just the third switch-hitter in history to reach the milestone, joining Hall of Famers Mickey Mantle (536) and Eddie Murray (504).

[Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

Fun With Polls: Milestones

As you may or may not have noticed to your left or right, we're helping three very awesome veterans count down to three very awesome numbers.

Ken Griffey Jr., Manny Ramirez and Chipper Jones are all just 2 longballs away from career homers 600, 500 and 400, respectively.

So, we want to know who you think will hit the big one first?

• 
  Ken Griffey Jr.
• 
  Manny Ramirez
• 
  Chipper Jones

view results

Braves Sweep, Jones Still Ridiculous

Chipper Jones drove in five runs for the Braves, including a three-run shot for his ninth homer of the season Sunday as the Atlanta Braves finished their sweep of the Cincinnati Reds with a 14-7 victory to bring them back up to .500 baseball.

The Braves, who nailed a season-high 19 hits, scored seven runs in the second inning and Kelly Johnson went 4-for-6 with three doubles. Three doubles! Furthermore, Mark Kotsay went 3-for-4 with a homer, his second of the year.

Atlanta veteran Tom Glavine couldn’t get his act together for his first victory, giving up seven hits and walking five for six runs in just 4.2 innings.

Bronson Arroyo was roughed up for seven runs on seven hits, and lasted only 1.1 innings. This marks the shortest outing of his career as his ERA sky-rocketed to 8.63.

Someone better call 911, cause Chipper Jones is on fire. The 36-year-old sweet-swinging switch-hitter is batting .425. Holy Smokes! The Braves, on the other hand, aren't faring so well on the road. They're 11-4 at The Ted, but 4-11 away.

That's not as crappy as the Reds, though, who just finished another five-game road losing streak to lose their 12th of 18 road games.

[AJC]

Happy Birthday, Chipper!

You are amazing.

Why? Because you celebrate your birthday the only way a big leaguer should. You went 3-for-4 with a homer. Your fourth career birthday bomb.

It Was Like Old Times!

There may be some dust on John Smoltz, but the man has still got it.

Over five shutout innings against the Florida Marlins Thursday, the Atlanta Braves veteran righty struck out ten, paving the way for the 8-0 win. If you're awesome at math like me, you'll know that he averaged 2 K's per inning of work, which is pretty much out of control. That last fanning jacked his career total to 2,996 strikeouts -- the milestone is immanent.

Speaking of old school, Chipper Jones went 4-for-4 with two bombs and three RBIs, raising his batting average to .443. After driving in a run on a double in the first, he homered in the third, and knocked another one out with two gone in the fifth.

After Chipper's second longball, Mark Teixeira and Brian McCann each hit solo shots of their own. Back-to-back-to-back home runs, in the span of 12 pitches. This marks Jones' 37th multi-homer game of his career.

Off to their worst start since 1990, this little pick-me-up may be just what Braves fans need to feel good about doing the Chop again.

Also, I do not approve of Chipper's at bat music this season.

[MLB]

Chipper Jones Disagrees With Your Strikezone

After the Atlanta Braves dropped the tenth game of their last fourteen, awesome third baseman Chipper Jones had a few suggestions for home plate umpire Rick Reed and his crew.

The Braves struck out six times in their 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night, continuing their downward spiral in the NL East. Jones didn't whiff, but hit a solo shot in the fourth and had another RBI in the fifth when he walked with the bases loaded -- the at-bat that had him steaming.

"The first pitch to me with the bases loaded was in my batter's box, inside," Jones explained after the game. "Now you tell me how I'm supposed to hit that. We have to get QuesTec here in this ballpark. We've got to. Umpires have got to be held accountable. That's Little League World Series stuff right there."

The 1999 NL MVP, who ranks sixth in the league with a .328 batting average, was not happy to see Willie Harris and Kelly Johnson pop up in front of him and Mark Teixeira ground out behind him, but it was his own at bat that had him baffled.

Chipper called it a joke, making it clear that baseball could fine him whatever they wanted to. "Somebody's got to say something. I've got more walks than strikeouts in my career -- I know what a strike looks like," he went on to call the officiating "abysmal" and "awful" and that major league baseball should be ashamed.

In the ninth inning, with Andruw Jones on first and nobody out, Yunel Escobar failed to check his third-strike swing. The most ejected manager in the history of the game emerged from the dugout, calm as can be, to make sure the first base Blue made the correct call. Bobby Cox promptly returned without an argument, but reserve catcher Brayan Pena was tossed for arguing balls and strikes.

Atlanta's right fielder Jeff Francoeur said it best: the club can't put a streak together to save their lives.

[Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

Chipper Jones: Ridiculous

Congratulations to Chipper Jones on becoming the all-time home runs leader for the Atlanta Braves last night against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The switch-hitting, sweet-swinging Jones smashed a 3-2 Eric Stults pitch into the left-field pavilion with one out in the sixth before nailing his 372nd and 15th of the season leading off the eighth on Chin-hui Tsao's first pitch of the game.

It took him 6,622 at bats to break the record previously held by Braves legend Dale Murphy, who had 7,098 at-bats with the club.

Chipper is batting .325 on the season.

[Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

Chipper Out With Groin Injury

Three games after recording his 2000th career hit, Chipper Jones is out of commission.

The Atlanta Braves third baseman left after the sixth inning last with a sore groin as the Braves were shutout, 11-0 by the Boston Red Sox.

Jones, hitting .323 with 12 homers and 27 RBIs, has had a rough season thusfar with injuries limiting him to playing in only 50 of the club's 73 games - spending time on the disabled list after spraining both hands.

Get well soon, Chipper! There's people in this world that can't take much more of Pete Orr.

[USA Today]

Babes Love Chipper Jones

Atlanta Braves veteran third baseman Chipper Jones is headed to the 15-day disabled list with a bruised right hand after experiencing pain in both hands since a base running collision on May 11th.

He has missed seven straight games and received a cortisone shot last week, but noticed no improvement.

Jones will be inactive for the next week and did not give a prediction for his return. "I would have certainly thought that I'd be past this and pain free," he said. Come back soon, Chipper!

Related, the Braves will purchase the contract of shortstop Yunel Escobar from the AAA Richmond Braves this weekend.

Escobar is batting .333 in the minors this season with 2 home runs, 29 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 46 games.

[Chop-n-Change]