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Braves Will Retire Chipper Jones' Number and Induct Star into Team Hall of
Fame
By Adam Wells (Featured Columnist) on February 19, 2013
Chipper Jones, one of the greatest players in Atlanta Braves history, will be
inducted into the team's Hall of Fame and have his number retired on June 28,
Major League Baseball announced on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/MLB/status/303849676132712448
On the list of no-brainer moves, Jones going into the Braves' Hall of Fame is
right at the top. He is one of the most popular players in franchise history
and spent his entire career in Atlanta.
Jones went to the Braves as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1990 MLB draft. He
spent four seasons in the minor leagues before making his debut in the big
leagues on Sept. 11, 1993. He only played in eight games, recording two hits
in three at-bats.
That would be the start of one of the best careers most fans of Major League
Baseball will ever see. After missing the entire 1994 season due to injuries,
Jones finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 1995, hitting
.265/.353/.450 with 23 home runs and 86 RBI in 140 games.
The Braves won the World Series in Jones' first full season, defeating the
Cleveland Indians in six games.
Jones would then go on to have one of the most impressive eight-year runs in
baseball history. He finished in the top 10 in MVP voting in five of six
seasons from 1996 to 2001, winning the award in 1999.
In 2002 and 2003, Jones hit over .300 with an on-base percentage over .400
and slugging percentage over .500. He led all of baseball with a .364 batting
average as a 36-year-old in 2008.
Injuries would rob Jones of playing time in each of his last three seasons,
though his production on the field when he was healthy was still terrific.
Last season, he hit .287/.377/.455 with 14 home runs in 112 games.
Jones announced prior to the start of the 2012 season that it would be his
last. The Braves did make the playoffs as the first wild-card team but lost
the Wild Card Game to the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-3. In his last at-bat, Jones
recorded an infield single.
For his career, Jones hit .303/.401/.529 with 468 home runs, 1,623 RBI, 150
stolen bases, 1,512 walks and 1,409 strikeouts in 19 seasons.