Chipper Jones is having a crazy-good year. I saw a graphic on SportsCenter recently that said the Atlanta Braves' third baseman has the best average of any player ever at this point in the season.
Right now he's at .412, with a dozen home runs. This is a ridiculous pace, and as much as I appreciate Chipper's career and abilities, I don't see him keeping his average above the coveted .400 mark through the end of the season.
There's a reason nobody has ended with that mark since the immortal Ted Williams did it in 1941 (.406). The bat, ball, and mound have all changed, as has the quality of pitching. Jones also plays in the National League with Bobby Cox as his manager, which means small ball could have a negative effect on his average.
- B/R Ticket Guide
There's little chance of Chipper ending the 2008 season with a batting average above .400.
But there's no reason a season like this can't be rewarded with the NL's MVP.
For a team that has seen one of the most impressive streaks in Major League Baseball, and is now in what fans consider a major postseason slump, Jones is bringing some positive light to Atlanta. His name is out there, and right now nobody is hitting the ball quite like the remaining Jones boy (poor Andrew, he never should have left).
Chipper's having his day. And while the dream of staying at .400 is a bit unrealistic, I have a feeling the NL MVP award is likely on the way.
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6 months ago
I could make an argument that Chipper could stay over .400 for the season, but it would just be riding on hopes and dreams...
And once he does drop under .400 even slightly, I think it would be impossible to make it back over. Either way, a .386 average wouldnt be so bad. Besides, in this age of baseball, what's an average anyway if you don't have RBI's? It would be like if all of Barry Bonds' homeruns were solo shots, he wouldnt be too valuable in my market.
But alas, Chipper has the RBI's to back up his tear. He's had over 100 RBI's in 9 of his last 12 seasons. This year will be no different.
Chipper is a great player, I agree .400 might not be his final average this year. Even Chipper agrees he's getting lucky.
6 months ago
Good call on the RBI count. With Chipper hitting like this and Tommy Glavin back in a Braves uniform, It's starting to feel like the good old days. Now all they need is Greg Maddux back.
from 6 months ago
Ricky:
There have been rumors of an upcoming San Diego fire sale. Maddux has been brought up as a candidate for an exit to a contender. Atlanta and Chicago have been brought up. I would LOVE to see Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz together for one last time.
What's Steve Avery doing these days?
On a serious note, Maddux does have some juice still left; but he would need to go 7 innings maximum per start to keep him paced for the long season. Atlanta's bullpen is shaping up into a staff that could support someone like Greg. It has been said and I concur: a special player like Maddux doesn't need to exit the game with a cellar dweller with no hope of having a winnning season.
Lastly, this corp of young hurlers can only benefit from being around Maddux.
6 months ago
Chipper dropped below .400 for a game or two about two weeks ago, when he hit a short slump heading into the series against the Pirates. He got a day off thanks to a rainout, and came out and got two hits in the first game to get back over .400 and his average has continued to rise since then ever so slightly. He has the chance to stay over .400 for a long time, but its just a matter of whether or not he does keep it there.
6 months ago
It's just too early to think he can keep it up until the end. If he's still above .400 with 3/4 of the season complete, then I might start to believe it's possible.
6 months ago
small ball doesnt affect the 3 spot in the order....2 spot yes, but bobby cox wouldnt bunt with chipper jones and the way he hits, it makes no sense....and andruw jones leaving was the best thing for the team, he has 2 homers and 7 rbi up til now....last year he batted under .200 for a week....get ur shit together buddy
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