Chipper Jones: The Most Overrated Player in Baseball

The fact that Jones only played 128 games in 2008 helps prove my point. In fact, he hasn't played more than 137 games since, you guessed it, 2003.

A truly great player is a guy his team counts on day in and day out. You don't have to be Cal Ripken to be considered a great player, but great players don't consistently miss 35-55 games per season. It's much easier to put up impressive numbers when you don't have to go through the grind of 162 games.

Not to mention, when Jones started sitting out games due to nagging injuries in 2007 while the Braves were battling to keep pace in the NL East, his own teammate criticized his heart. Remember when John Smoltz said, "You can't worry about who's in the lineup and who isn't. You can't worry about that stuff anymore". And then Smoltz added, "I certainly appreciate the effort of the guys on the field busting it."

Ouch.

Defense

No one who watches baseball at all, not even the most die-hard Braves fan or Chipper groupie, could argue that Jones is a good defensive player.

Jones was a poor fielding shortstop when he first came up in 1993. Consequently, he was moved to third base the next season. Even during Jones' great years, he was a below average fielding third baseman at best. After the 2001 season, his defense was so poor that the Braves moved him to left field and played two washed up players, Ken Caminiti and Vinny Castilla, at third.

Jones proved to be a terrible outfielder whose limited range was hidden by the great defense and field coverage of Andruw Jones. He lasted only two seasons as the Braves left fielder before moving back to third base in 2004.

Since then Jones' defense has steadily declined, and he's basically a DH playing at third base.

Conclusion

From 1995-2003, Chipper Jones was a great player, and arguably one of the best hitters in the entire sport. Since then, however, Jones has become a DH disguised as a third baseman, a number three hitter with less impressive power numbers than Ty Wigginton, and a "team leader" who can't stay on the field and has his heart questioned by a teammate.

Does that sound "great" to you?

Five years after he retires, Jones will almost definitely get into the Hall of Fame. He was once a great player, but now he is nothing more than a solid player at best. The fact that so many people still consider him great is ridiculous. He has become the most overrated player in baseball. Period.

Then again, I could just be a bitter Mets fan.

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