Chipper Jones clearly loves the game. The Atlanta Braves third baseman is also much needed for his bat, his glove, and his leadership in the clubhouse, as the team makes not only another run at the playoffs, but develops an incredible crop of young talent. And the name Chipper Jones elicits plenty of cheers in Turner Field. Despite all of these silver linings, there’s a dark cloud that will make him take the field next year, and maybe a few more. It’s the knowledge that his rightful place in Cooperstown is far from guaranteed.
Of course, Jones belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame. But that doesn’t mean he’s going to get what he deserves. And if you don’t believe me, look at some examples of other deserving players on the Braves and other teams who got the shocking snub.
Jones has seven All-Star appearances, two Silver Slugger awards, a Batting Title, and (most importantly), an MVP Award (1999). One would be tempted to pencil in a date in upstate in New York a few years after retirement for Chipper Jones. But he’s been burned by voters before. After an impressive rookie year, the 23 year old was beaten out by Japanese League veteran Hideo Nomo in the rookie of the year voting. In 1998, he hit 34 homers, 107 runs batted in, and .313 at the plate. He finished ninth in the MVP voting. In 2003, he hit 27 homers, 106 RBI, and sported a batting average of .305. It was good for 25th in the MVP voting that year. He didn’t even make the All-Star Game that year, despite playing in 153 games.
It sadly reminds me of the case of Dale Murphy, whose case I have pushed hard for the Hall-of-Fame. He also had seven All-Star appearances, five Gold Gloves, four Silver Sluggers, and twice as many MVP Awards…and could only manage 12 percent of the Hall-of-Fame voting.
What’s really scary is that it isn’t just some anti-Atlanta bias. What if I told you that there was a New York Yankee who made it to six All-Star games, nine Gold Gloves, three Silver Sluggers, a Batting Title, an MVP Award, and had his number retired….and this player also only received 13.6 percent of the vote? This outstanding player’s name is Don Mattingly.
Maybe you’re thinking it’s a race thing. Tell that to Chipper Jones’ teammate Fred McGriff. “The Crime Dog” slugged 493 homers, 1,550 runs batted in, nearly 2,500 hits, a .284 career average (high for a home run hitter), five All-Star appearances, three Silver Sluggers, and (like Chipper Jones, and unlike Murphy and Mattingly) a World Series title. He couldn’t manage 20 percent of the vote either.
Most players in the Hall-of-Fame are there because they deserve it. A few have questionable credentials, but made it anyway. All four candidates (Jones, Murphy, Mattingly and McGriff) clearly all belong. It’s sad that role players (relief specialists and designated hitters) and even steroid abusers get more votes than the aforementioned players who did their work in the field and came by their statistics honestly.
As I write this, Chipper Jones has just belted another home run, this time off famed pitcher Tim Lincecum of the defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants, to win the game 1-0. Keep slugging away Chipper. Play as long as you can. There are several retirees who probably wish they had kept going for a few more stats to win a place in Cooperstown, N.Y.