Chipper Jones tears ACL... probably done

[Steve9347]

It's a crappy way for him to go out, but it appears that Chipper tore his ACL.

 

All this guy did was rack up 2,490 career hits with 493 doubles, 436 homers, for a whopping .941 OPS on the career while playing a whole lot of 3B and some OF (and even SS in a handful of games).

 

He's a lock for the Hall of Fame. What a freak.

[shipps]

Yeah, what a great career this man has had. Painful way to end it.

[fathom]

Wow, he basically started his career and ended it by tearing his ACL. Hell of a career

[Kyyle23]

Somewhere, Greg Pratt just shed a tear

[bschmaranz]

That's heartbreaking. Hell of a career, hell of a guy.

[Milkman delivers]

Bad way to go out, but it was a career that will get him into the HOF.

[caulfield12]

At one point, those Braves' teams looked to have Andruw and Chipper Jones, Smoltz, Glavine, Maddux and Steve Avery all headed to the Hall of Fame.

 

Avery's career was wiped out by the injuries, and Jones has very little chance to make it now, although he will probably get a lot of votes because of his 10 Gold Gloves.

 

 

[witesoxfan]

At one point, those Braves' teams looked to have Andruw and Chipper Jones, Smoltz, Glavine, Maddux and Steve Avery all headed to the Hall of Fame.

 

Avery's career was wiped out by the injuries, and Jones has very little chance to make it now, although he will probably get a lot of votes because of his 10 Gold Gloves.

 

I wouldn't say Jones has very little chance to make it, and instead, would suggest he's almost certainly going to make it. Any potential PEDs issues aside, Jones was one of the best defensive CFers of our time, and, if he wasn't the best, he was among the best CFers in the entire game during his career, and there were certainly years you could make arguments that he was a top 5 player in the game. On top of that, he's only 33, and he obviously still has power, so it's quite possibly that he could hang around for another 3-5 years as a backup, hit about 50 more homers and wind up with over 2000 hits and 450+ homers.

 

The downside of Jones' career is how quickly it tailspinned out of control. He hasn't been nearly the same player he was with the Braves, and he's been a downright mediocre player for 4 years now. That doesn't change the fact that, for a 9 year period, he was probably one of the top 10-20 players in the entire game.

 

If people are talking about Omar Vizquel being a Hall of Famer, then Andruw Jones absolutely has to be one too. He was as good as Vizquel defensively, but was a much, much better offensive player.

[Balta1701]

If people are talking about Omar Vizquel being a Hall of Famer, then Andruw Jones absolutely has to be one too. He was as good as Vizquel defensively, but was a much, much better offensive player.

Vizquel did it for twice as long though.

[southsider2k5]

I wouldn't say Jones has very little chance to make it, and instead, would suggest he's almost certainly going to make it. Any potential PEDs issues aside, Jones was one of the best defensive CFers of our time, and, if he wasn't the best, he was among the best CFers in the entire game during his career, and there were certainly years you could make arguments that he was a top 5 player in the game. On top of that, he's only 33, and he obviously still has power, so it's quite possibly that he could hang around for another 3-5 years as a backup, hit about 50 more homers and wind up with over 2000 hits and 450+ homers.

 

The downside of Jones' career is how quickly it tailspinned out of control. He hasn't been nearly the same player he was with the Braves, and he's been a downright mediocre player for 4 years now. That doesn't change the fact that, for a 9 year period, he was probably one of the top 10-20 players in the entire game.

 

If people are talking about Omar Vizquel being a Hall of Famer, then Andruw Jones absolutely has to be one too. He was as good as Vizquel defensively, but was a much, much better offensive player.

 

That is a huge factor. It has already kept Mark McGwire out.

[chw42]

Definitely a hall of famer. He and Frank are two of the sure shots from the steroid era.

[sircaffey]

Vizquel did it for twice as long though.

You have to marvel at the fact Omar was Omar for 17+ years.

[witesoxfan]

Vizquel did it for twice as long though.

 

Did what for twice as long? Jones has 10 GGs, Vizquel has 11. He's played for twice as long, and maybe deserves more gold gloves (but maybe not too), and he still isn't close to the same offensive force that Jones was.

 

That is a huge factor. It has already kept Mark McGwire out.

 

I can't find anything that connects Jones to PEDs though. There might be suspicion, just as there is with nearly all players over the past decade, but I don't believe he's ever been linked to it.

 

I guess that's where the issue of longevity comes into play. Omar's been Omar for 17 years. Jones for 9 years. Likely .273 avg, 400 SB for Omar. .256 avg, 450 HR for Jones. They are both borderline for me. Andruw moreso than Omar. A couple good years for Andruw could end the debate.

 

400 stolen bases isn't the same thing as 400 homers, and I still think that 400 homers is more meaninful than 400 stolen bases. Jones doesn't have the reputation that Vizquel does of being a mentor and coach to young players.

 

---

 

At the end of the day, Andruw Jones was a top 10-20 player in the game for the better part of a decade. That should be Hall of Fame worthy.

[NorthSideSox72]

Definitely a hall of famer. He and Frank are two of the sure shots from the steroid era.

um... Griffey?

 

[SoxAce]

Hell of a career. This definitely speeds up the retiring process, something I'm sure he didn't want, but he is a lock for sure to the hall of fame.

[Chisoxfn]

At one point, those Braves' teams looked to have Andruw and Chipper Jones, Smoltz, Glavine, Maddux and Steve Avery all headed to the Hall of Fame.

 

Avery's career was wiped out by the injuries, and Jones has very little chance to make it now, although he will probably get a lot of votes because of his 10 Gold Gloves.

Andruw is about as sure fired of a HOF as there ever is. Best defensive CFer of his generation and one of the greatest of all time plus the guy had 400HR's and was a very good offensive player in the same span. He's more of a lock than Chipper, imo.

[RockRaines]

It's a crappy way for him to go out, but it appears that Chipper tore his ACL.

 

All this guy did was rack up 2,490 career hits with 493 doubles, 436 homers, for a whopping .941 OPS on the career while playing a whole lot of 3B and some OF (and even SS in a handful of games).

 

He's a lock for the Hall of Fame. What a freak.

As a switch hitter. Which is harder to do IMO.

[SoxFan562004]

5 similar batters are in the HOF and 6 similar batters through age 37 are in the HOF, with very little to no tangible connections to PEDs, I imagine he gets in pretty easily.

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jonesch06.shtml

Edited August 12, 2010 by SoxFan562004

[CrimsonWeltall]

Andruw is about as sure fired of a HOF as there ever is. Best defensive CFer of his generation and one of the greatest of all time plus the guy had 400HR's and was a very good offensive player in the same span. He's more of a lock than Chipper, imo.

 

I always viewed Andruw Jones as being the NL Torii Hunter, and neither struck me as a HOFer. His 110 career OPS+ is pretty unimpressive.

 

Decent company in WAR: http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/WAR_career.shtml

[chw42]

um... Griffey?

 

Him too, obviously.

[chw42]

Andruw is about as sure fired of a HOF as there ever is. Best defensive CFer of his generation and one of the greatest of all time plus the guy had 400HR's and was a very good offensive player in the same span. He's more of a lock than Chipper, imo.

 

Had he not fizzled out so early, he would be in without question. 500 home runs + his defense is an automatic in.

[chetkincaid]

I can't understand how he became so brutal at the plate like that all of a sudden. I mean I know the PED thing (which I don't think there's a link), is there, but he was raking in the beginning of the season. What happened? The other day he swung at a pitch that hit the ground a foot before the plate. Why?

[G&T]

As a switch hitter. Which is harder to do IMO.

 

It would be easier as a switch hitter because he has the advantage of seeing the ball better from both righties and lefites. If it wasn't an advantage to the hitter, then why would he do it?

[shipps]

It would be easier as a switch hitter because he has the advantage of seeing the ball better from both righties and lefites. If it wasn't an advantage to the hitter, then why would he do it?

 

Its not harder just more physically impressive to do it from both sides of the plate.

[Steve9347]

um... Griffey?

I think you just misread his post. He said "two of" not "the only two".