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Atlanta Brave Profile:
Chipper Jones
by Patrick Austin
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| Mr.
Austin is a freelance writer who covers sports for a number
of web sites including RealGM.com, Hoopsworld.com, and Fanstop.com.
He currently also covers entertainment and sports for Vainquer
magazine. |
Chipper Jones has been a key contributor to an Atlanta Brave
franchise that has had a prolific number of postseason appearances
that is rarely seen in baseball (thirteen consecutive division
titles). The team has had many players come and go, but one constant
has been Chipper Jones. How did Chipper wind up a Brave? Let’s
take a look back and see…
In 1990, Chipper was named the Florida High School Player of
the Year, and was drafted by the Atlanta Braves with the first
pick in the MLB draft. He played in the minors with the Gulf Coast
Braves where he played forty-four games. In 1991, Chipper played
for the Macon Braves.
In 1993, Chipper found himself in Richmond playing triple A baseball
with the Richmond Braves. He was their AAA Player of the Year
and was named the #2 Prospect in the International League by Baseball
America. Chipper's pro debut was also in 1993. He didn’t
play very much but showed flashes of being an Atlanta Brave cornerstone.
But, in 1994 he spent the year on the disabled list with a major
knee injury.
His first full major league season was 1995. He was a strong
contender for the Rookie of the Year award, but Hideo Nomo beat
him out. He did, however, win The Sporting News Rookie of the
Year honor.
1996 brought an even better Chipper, who was moved to third base.
He was named to the All Star Team and wound up starting . His
1996 season numbers proved to everyone that Chipper was here to
stay and he was going to make some headlines. He soon became a
leader in the clubhouse and a model Atlanta Brave.
In 1997 Chipper had a year that would have been a great year
for a lot of people, but was a disappointment for him. He worked
out in the team's facilities during the winter and all that work
paid off because he had a career year in 1998.
But 1999 was probably his best year. He didn’t have great
statistics (although the stats where there) , but he was the MVP
to that Atlanta Brave team. The way he carried them all year,
a team wrecked by injuries, Chipper was the one constant. You
could call him the Atlanta Brave rock. His great season was rewarded
by the Baseball Writers with the NL MVP throphy. His first one,
but many believe, not his last.
Chipper has been struggling as of late, but don’t count
him out yet. He still has many great years of baseball ahead of
him. Let’s just hope he remains an Atlanta Brave and takes
this team back to the glory land.
If you’d like to find out more about Atlanta Brave, Chipper
Jones, here are some good links…
Chipper
Jones--atlanta Brave-- MLB Profile
Atlanta
Brave fan profile of Chipper Jones
ESPN
profile of Atlanta Brave, Chipper Jones
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