Braves.Today.Com

By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com

ATLANTA – When the results of an MRI last week revealed Chipper Jones only needed rest – and not a surgeon’s knife – to heal his troublesome right shoulder, the NL batting champion exhaled.

Going into the operating room would not have been the ideal way to finish what was Hoss’ best season as a major-leaguer. And considering all that Chipper has accomplished since making his big-league debut in September 1993, that’s saying something.

You certainly know the 2008 chapter of Chipper’s story: Jones flirted with .400 until mid-June, then went on the disabled list in late July and early August, only to return and hit .315 in August and .408 in September to win his first batting title with a .364 mark.

For somebody like Chipper, who four or five years ago looked poised to join the long list of veterans whose games went south in his early 30s, a season like this has to be satisfying, at least from the personal viewpoint. Team-wise, we heard Hoss talk in painful terms about the Braves’ summer swoon over and over again throughout the past four months.

But we’re not worried about that, at least not today. Instead, we’re looking at Chipper’s season from the purely selfish personal standpoint, as it was as fine a season as any Brave has enjoyed in the past 30 years.

He played in 128 games, the second most in the past four years. And granted, Jones hit just 22 homers, his second-lowest total since hitting 21 in 1997 (he also hit 21 in 2005). He had plenty of company in the not-hitting-homers department, as the 2008 Braves were horrid when it came to going deep.

But his 90 walks are the most since 2003. His .470 on-base percentage is a career high. Despite missing 34 games, Hoss still finished with 160 hits, 24 doubles, 75 RBIs … not a bad season’s work, I’d say.

When you look at Chipper’s career numbers, there is diminishing doubt this guy is going to end up in the Hall of Fame. He is a .310 career hitter with 408 homers and 2277 hits. He’s topped .300 in 10 seasons, including the past three, setting career highs in his past two (.337 last season, .364 this season). Defensively, his errors rose from nine in 2007 to 13 this year, but Chipper makes so many great plays throughout the season, barehanded snags of a “Chopper to Chipper” that makes you forget dude is out there doing this at 36 years old.

During a miserable season, Jones’ brilliance shined bright enough to make you want to turn on the TV every night or get up to Turner Field to check out what he was doing. And more often than not, he didn’t disappoint. Much like Dale Murphy did in the mid and late 1980s, when the Braves were miserable and Murph was the one identifiable positive with the franchise, Chipper has ascended into that franchise position of sustained sunshine, a performer who shines regardless of how good – or bad – the team around him may be.

So, will Chipper also end up like Murphy, dealt to another team as his career winds down? I’d say no. There isn’t an emerging star in the minors at third base, so Chipper’s not blocking anybody. Remember, the Braves had David Justice waiting in the wings, and DJ tore it up in the final two months of 1990 after Murph was shipped to Philadelphia, winning rookie of the year for his efforts. Unlike Murphy, whose numbers spiraled steadily downward after he turned 30, Chipper’s continued to perform at a high level. And as long as he’s healthy, he’s going to remain one of the game’s top players.

And there’s no doubt in my mind he’ll do so in a Braves uniform, all the way to the finish line of a journey that will end up in Cooperstown.

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