CHIPPER TO YANKEES: Chop This!

I was very glad to see Chipper Jones reject the Yankees’ overtures for a comeback. It’s not that I wouldn’t want to see Jones have a change of heart, but not with the Yankees … not with anybody else but the Braves.

I’ve always admired players to begin and end it with the same team. That‘s what I want to see for David Wright. It’s one of the things I liked about Cal Ripken, Don Mattingly and Derek Jeter.

It’s rare these days for a player to retire with the same team he began his career with. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that way with Pete Rose, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays.

The Yankees’ stream of injuries prompted WFAN to run a poll of retired players fans wanted to come back with the Yankees. Ripken was on the list. I wonder if it is more a sign of respect or just not being realistic.

Incidentally, Wright is enjoying his time at the WBC, but I can’t but wonder if his time would have been better off had he stayed in Port St. Lucie.

Think of it for a moment, he’s going to be the captain of this team, so it stands to reason his presence would be beneficial to the younger players in camp.

I have never been a Chipper Jones fan.  I’ve disliked him since before anyone knew his name was Larry.  I’ve seen him win only two Silver Slugger Awards and I’ve never seen him win a Gold Glove.  I’ve also seen him very little at the All-Star Game, as he has missed the Midsummer Classic more than he has played in it.

I gladly cheer for David Wright.  I loudly boo Chipper Jones.  That being said, David Wright has a long way to go to be as great as Chipper Jones.

Chipper Jones and David Wright. One is an all-time great. The other is a great Met.

The soon-to-be-retired Jones has been killing the Mets for nearly two decades.  But then again, fans in Miami, Philadelphia and Washington (Montreal, too) can claim the same thing, as Jones has been an equal opportunity slugger against every team in the National League East.

Since making his debut for the Braves in 1993, Jones has torn the cover off the ball against every division rival.  Don’t believe me?  Here are the numbers to prove it:

vs. Mets:            .312/.408/.550, 46 doubles, 49 HR, 158 RBI, 167 runs in 240 games.

vs. Marlins:       .299/.393/.505, 47 doubles, 40 HR, 165 RBI, 151 runs in 242 games.

vs. Phillies:        .332/.442/.599, 70 doubles, 49 HR, 151 RBI, 165 runs in 243 games.

vs. Expos/Nats: .299/.405/.505, 62 doubles, 41 HR, 160 RBI, 173 runs in 262 games.

Simply stated, Jones has been a dynamo against the teams in his own division.  His production has been one of the main reasons why the Braves have been competitive in the National League East for two decades, despite the constant player turnaround.

Jones has also been wonderful in the postseason.  In the playoffs, the Braves’ third baseman has a .288 career batting average and .411 on-base percentage.  He also has 18 doubles, 13 HR, 47 RBI and has scored 58 runs.  But more incredibly, Jones has been a part of countless postseason rallies for the Braves, reaching base a whopping 169 times in only 92 games.  That’s almost two times on base per playoff game over his entire career!

Meanwhile, David Wright has also been very good against teams from his own division, but has only gotten a small taste of the postseason, not doing particularly well in his one October experience with the Mets.

In nine seasons with the Mets (which is approximately half of the service time accumulated by his fellow hot corner handler in Atlanta), Wright has complied the following career numbers against the other teams in the National League East:

vs. Braves:         .268/.347/.489, 29 doubles, 28 HR, 76 RBI, 65 runs in 142 games.

vs. Marlins:        .328/.396/.537, 35 doubles, 22 HR, 94 RBI, 95 runs in 136 games.

vs. Phillies:        .282/.352/.508, 36 doubles, 26 HR, 93 RBI, 79 runs in 137 games.

vs. Expos/Nats: .303/.381/.502, 48 doubles, 19 HR, 84 RBI, 97 runs in 146 games.

Wright’s splits are just slightly below what Jones has produced in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage over his career, but his extra-base hits and run production have been on par with Jones.  Just looking at those numbers would lead anyone to believe that Wright’s career is taking a similar path as Jones.

But there is one glaring difference between Jones and Wright that keeps the Mets’ third baseman a notch below his counterpart.  Jones has always come up big in key spots.  David Wright, on the other hand, isn’t quite there yet.

In 1999, Chipper Jones willed the Braves over the Mets in the NL East.  In a three-game sweep over the Mets in late September, Jones sealed the deal on the National League MVP Award, hitting four home runs and driving in seven of the 13 runs the Braves scored in the series.  Jones continued to hurt the Mets in the NLCS that year, reaching base 15 times in 29 plate appearances.

Before Shea Jones was born, Chipper Jones came to life at Shea.

Meanwhile, David Wright didn’t factor much in his sole postseason appearance in 2006.  In the Mets’ seven-game loss to the Cardinals in the NLCS, Wright batted .160, collecting as many strikeouts (four) as hits.

For his career, Wright is a .301 hitter with a .382 on-base percentage.  But in the final month of the regular season, his numbers aren’t nearly as good.  In September (and those few regular season games played in October), Wright’s batting average dips to .291 with a .359 on-base percentage.  Meanwhile, Jones gets hotter as the season progresses.  The lifetime .304 hitter (with a sparkling .401 OBP) is batting .305 with a .408 on-base percentage after September 1st.  The dog days of summer don’t affect Jones the way they do Wright.

Finally, as good as Wright has been for the Mets, Jones was better at a similar point in his career.  Here are Wright’s numbers through games of September 7 (his ninth season with the Mets), followed by Jones’ numbers with the Braves after his ninth season:

Wright: .301/.382/.507, 318 doubles, 19 triples, 200 HR, 804 RBI, 778 runs, 992 Ks

Jones:  .309/.404/.541, 305 doubles, 26 triples, 280 HR, 943 RBI, 966 runs, 781 Ks

Jones leads Wright in all offensive categories except doubles, but Wright has also struck out 211 more times than Jones had at the same point in their careers.  In fact, Wright has averaged approximately 120 strikeouts in every full season he’s played in the majors.  Jones has NEVER struck out 100 times in a season.  His career high of 99 whiffs was achieved in his first full season with the Braves in 1995.

David Wright has five 100-RBI seasons to his credit.  Jones had eight consecutive 100-RBI campaigns from 1996-2003.  (He has nine 100-RBI seasons overall.)  From 1998-2008, Jones had a .400 on-base percentage in every year but one (2004).  In 2007, Wright enjoyed his only season with an on-base percentage over .400.

Wright has batted over .315 only once in his career (2007).  Jones has had six such seasons.  In fact, from 2006-2008, when he was in his mid-thirties and supposedly in the twilight of his career, Jones batted a combined .342, winning the National League batting title in 2008 with a .364 batting average.

So how valuable has David Wright been to the Mets in the eyes of the MVP voters?  Not very much, as Wright has finished in the top 20 in MVP voting only four times.  Meanwhile, Jones has finished in the top 20 eleven times, including each of his first nine full seasons in the majors, which coincidentally is the same number of years that David Wright has played in the big leagues for the Mets.

Chipper Jones has always stood tall next to David Wright.

David Wright has been one of the best players in the history of the Mets, ranking among the team leaders in almost every offensive category.  But Wright’s competition on the Mets’ all-time leaderboard includes Ed Kranepool, Darryl Strawberry and Howard Johnson.  Those players were great Mets, but they’re not all-time greats in the sport.

Chipper Jones is also omnipresent on his team’s all-time offensive leaderboard.  But take a look at the top three in most of those categories.  You won’t find any Kranepools, Strawberrys or Johnsons there.  Instead, you’ll find two names joining Jones in the majority of those categories – Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews, both of them Hall-of-Famers and among the all-time greats of the sport.

So the next time someone talks about how great David Wright has been, you can agree with them, but only in comparison with other Mets.  When someone brings up Chipper Jones, however, feel free to mention him in the company of the game’s all-time greats.  As good as he’s been for the Mets, David Wright has a long way to go to be an all-time great.  By the same token, Wright also has a long way to go to be like Chipper Jones.  Love him or hate him, Chipper Jones deserves the respect given to the best players in the game’s history.  He’s done everything on the field to earn it.

Earlier today, Chipper Jones announced that he will be retiring at the end of the season after almost two decades spent entirely with the Atlanta Braves.  Jones will retire as one of the Braves’ all-time greatest players, finishing in the top three in many of the team’s offensive categories (along with Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews).  He will also end his career as one of the best switch-hitters in baseball history, joining other greats such as Mickey Mantle, Eddie Murray and Pete Rose.

Chipper Jones was like Norm from Cheers, with every fan at Shea Stadium and Citi Field saying his first name in unison as he strolled into the batter’s box.  But unlike Norm, whenever Jones heard his name, it wasn’t usually in adulation.

When the Braves and Mets competed for National League supremacy in 1999 and 2000, it was Jones who repeatedly delivered in the clutch, keeping the Mets from ending the Braves’ reign atop the division.  By then, he was already known as “La-a-a-a-a-arry” to the Shea faithful, similar to the way Darryl Strawberry was known as “Da-a-a-a-a-arryl” to Red Sox fans during the 1986 World Series.  Of course, Strawberry got the last laugh, hitting a towering home run off Red Sox reliever Al Nipper in Game 7.  Chipper Jones usually hushed the crowd as well with his ability to come through in the clutch.

And what a clutch hitter he was against the Mets.  In 812 career at-bats versus New York, Jones hit .318 with 48 HR and 154 RBI.  Only Hall of Famers Willie Stargell (60) and Mike Schmidt (49) hit more career home runs against the Mets than Chipper Jones.

But Jones wasn’t just a great hitter when the Mets were in the other dugout.  He was an equal opportunity slugger, especially within his own division.  Through 2011, Jones has hit at least 40 HR against every team in the National League East, numbers that will only rise as he plays his final year in the major leagues.  Despite his inability to stay on the field because of various injuries throughout the latter part of his career, he still managed to win a batting title in 2008, hitting an impressive .364 at age 36.

Over the years, Mets fans at Shea Stadium and Citi Field would shower Chipper Jones with boos and remind him of his given name whenever he stepped up to the plate.  But did they really hate Chipper Jones or was it just a masked sign of respect for a great player?

Jimmy Rollins, Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino also get pooped on by the boo birds whenever they come to New York.  But all three of them brought it upon themselves by not being able to keep their mouths shut.  Cole Hamels may have been the biggest offender of Mets fans when he famously claimed that the Mets were choke artists.  In fact, his mouth is so big, he could insert Shaquille O’Neal’s foot in it and it still wouldn’t shut him up.  Those players are players Mets fans genuinely hate.  There’s no respect in those boos.

But Chipper Jones is different.  He never guaranteed anything even when the Braves were racking up division titles faster than the current Mets rack up injuries.  He also never disrespected a fan base like Hamels or his former teammate, John Rocker, did.  In fact, Jones loved playing in New York so much, he named his son Shea.

Why was Chipper Jones booed so much in New York?  Because he was good.  Really good.  For a very long time.

Larry did his homework on the Mets, which is why he was so great against them for nearly two decades.  But he didn’t just pick on the Mets; he picked apart opposing pitchers all over the National League.  When the Braves make their final appearance at Citi Field this year on September 9, Mets fans should put aside their negative feelings and give Chipper Jones a standing ovation.  After so many years booing him, it’s time to recognize that he was one of the best players of his generation.  Jones is a certain first ballot Hall of Famer who, like Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn, played his entire career with one team.  Only special players get to do that.  Chipper Jones has been a special player.

When the 2012 season comes to a close, Chipper Jones will be retiring from baseball.  Ask any Mets fan how they feel about the news and they’ll say they won’t be at a loss, which shouldn’t be surprising.  Why not?  Because when the game was on the line, the man they called “La-a-a-a-a-arry” usually had their favorite team at a loss.  It’s no wonder Mets fans will probably enjoy Chipper Jones’ retirement more than Chipper himself.

Enter Jason Heyward.

Like Chipper before him, Heyward was a first round pick. He was selected 14th overall by the Braves in the 2007 draft. That year, the Mets forfeited their first round pick for signing free agent Moises Alou. They did have two supplemental first rounders; Eddie Kunz and Nathan Vineyard.

Isn’t it amazing how after eleven straight first place finishes from 1995-2005, the Braves finish third in 2006 and while Mets fans still have nightmares over one nasty curveball, Braves fans got what could possibly be the most exciting and talented rookie since Ken Griffey Jr.?

Heyward has burst onto the scene with all the subtlety of a hydrogen bomb. Jason Heyward hit .323 with 17 home runs in 99 games last year in the minors. Baseball America selected him as the 2009 Minor League Player of the Year. This season, Heyward has been as good as advertised, and maybe even better.

In Spring Training, Chipper Jones was awed by his immense power and stature.

“Heyward looks like a bigger, more muscular version of Fred McGriff. And that’s saying something. Fred’s 6-5, 230 or so. This kid, he’s built like a brick house. To watch the way the ball jumps off his bat. It’s batting practice, I know, and everybody’s supposed to do that in batting practice, but…I got to hit with him yesterday, and I was more than impressed.”

In May, Chipper would later go to manager Bobby Cox and plead with him to bat Jason Heyward third instead of himself because it would make the team better. Now that’s what I call class. Can you imagine any Mets veteran ever doing something as selfless as that?

While us Mets fans debate over whether Lucas Duda or Fernando Martinez is the better prospect (I use the word prospect very loosely.), lets look at Heyward a little closer.

Heyward rolled into Citi Field last night in the midst of tremendous hot streak, the hottest of his short career.

He showed no signs of slowing down and blasted a three-run homer of Jon Niese that still hasn’t landed and lifted the Braves to a 6-4 win against the Mets. After another successful conquest, Heyward is now 40-for-97 (.412) with 13 extra-base hits, 23 runs and a .519 on-base percentage in his last 25 games. Those are some jaw-dropping numbers.

The first thing any Braves fan will tell you about their young phenom is not how great a hitter he is, but instead they describe him in one word… CLUTCH.

We are only now beginning to see that as Mets fans. His success against us though impressive, may only be just the tip of the iceberg. In his past five games against the Mets, he is 11-for-22 with three doubles, two homers and 10 RBIs.

How good is Heyward, and where does he rank among other great rookies who debuted at the age of 20 years old? Here is what I discovered, only nine players in baseball history have had a higher OPS than Heyward if his season was to end today. In order they are: Mel Ott, Ted Williams, Alex Rodriguez, Al Kaline, Jimmy Foxx, Frank Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Tony Conigliaro, and Vada Pinson. There’s a good chance he can still finish ahead of the last four names on that list.

Pretty wild, huh?

They’re calling him the J-Hey Kid… And I have a super bad feeling that he could be just as big of a Mets killer as Chipper Jones was.

Chipper had plenty to say as he voiced his frustrations and pinned the loss on third base umpire Greg Gibson.

“I’ve never had a guy slide into my glove and be safe,” Jones said. “That’s the whole game right there. So to say, ‘We’re a little upset’ is an understatement. We played a perfect game tonight, and we got it taken from us.”

“That was top-notch baseball and it was decided by a blown call,” Jones said.

Chipper Jones also hit a shot that would have been a homerun at Shea or just about any other park, but at Citi Field he had to settle for a 410 foot out.

Before the game, Chipper revealed that he had ordered a pair of Shea Stadium seats for $869, but that they were never sent to him and he wanted to know from the Mets where they were.

“Yeah, I wrote the check, but I’m still looking for ‘em. I need to talk to somebody.”

According to Adam Rubin, Chipper was then provided with delivery tracking information which showed that they were indeed shipped to Turner Field and signed for by a Mr. Jones.

That’s hilarious! Hey Larry, I’ll sell you mine for $869,000…

Larry’s been getting the best of us for more than a decade…

It feels good to finally get the best of him.

In the outfield, Garret Anderson will start in LF, and top prospect Jordan Schafer will start in CF. Jeff Francoeur will seek to put last season’s struggles behind him and have a productive season in RF. Francoeur remains one of the better outfield arms in the NL.

The infield remains the same as the one that finished last year. Chipper “Larreee!” Jones, fresh off of his 3-year extension, will man 3B. Yunel Escobar will play SS, Kelly Johnson at 2B, and Casey Kotchman at 1B. The Braves top power hitter, Brian McCann, will set up shop behind the plate.

Clearly, the most drastic changes are the ones throwing to McCann. After depending on 3 older and injured pitchers, the Braves went out to overhaul their rotation. They paid $60 mil for Lowe, signed Kawakimi from Japan, and traded for Javier Vasquez from the White Sox. Jair Jurrjens will be the 4th starter, and the 5th is an interesting question. Tom Glavine would have filled that spot, but he will start the season on the DL. Tommy Hanson is the top pitching prospect, and trendy ROY pick, but if he takes Glavine’s spot, the rotation will be all right-handed. So that’s why Jo-Jo Reyes is going to be in the conversation all year if anyone struggles or gets injured, Reyes is the only left-hander close to starting, but he went winless in his last 13 starts last year. Rafael Soriano will set-up for closer, Mike Gonzalez.

Notes: Derek Lowe will be making his third consecutive start against the Phillies tonight, he faced them twice in the NLCS…The Braves went 21-12 in the Grapefruit League… Prospects Freddie Freeman and Jason Heyward had good springs, but will start the year in the minors… The Braves will retire Greg Maddux’s number 31 this July… In February, the Braves become the first MLB team to open a baseball academy in Spain.

The Braves could be the Toronto Blue Jays of the NL East, 84+ wins, not enough to catch the top two teams in the division.

***

Now for a game, Movie Star to Met 6 Degrees of Separation.

Can you find the 6 Degrees of Separation between Ashton Kutcher and Johan Santana.

Answer to follow in the Philadelphia Phillies preview.

It is so freaking cool to finally go into Mets Spring Training camp and not have to hear about the damned Atlanta Braves and their damned streak of consecutive titles. You have no idea how much I hate that team. I will never forget the year that they clinched just before going into the last series of the season against the Mets. Bobby Cox, who I despise, decided that rather than resting his regulars for a couple of days, he would instead play them all weekend long so that he could keep the Mets from winning a Wild Card spot. The Mets needed only one win, and of course the Braves swept them and the rest, as they say, was history. But this spring the Mets are wirting their own history as the enter Port St. Lucie as the defending NL East Champs for the first time in over a decade! Did you hear that John Rocker!

Did you know that the 2006 Mets made the fewest pinch-hitting appearances in the National League, the sixth-fewest pitching changes and the sixth-fewest defensive changes. Thanks to Marty Noble for that interesting fact.

I definitely think the defensive changes will increase a great deal this year with the addition of Moises Alou and a full season of Shawn Green. Plus if Anderson Hernandez makes the team, you can be sure to see alot of him late in the game.

ESPN recently reported that Pedro Martinez’ fitness therapist had this to say about Pedro’s ongoing rehab. "Pedro will be brand-new, the Pedro of maybe ’97. It is my challenge, to build Pedro the old Pedro way. Pedro will again have the power in the fastball."

Wow, this is the second time in a month that I’ve heard such optimism regarding Pedro’s return, and this time it’s coming from the guy who’s sole purpose it is, to nurture him back to health. Can you imagine the impact Pedro would have on the rotation if he is anything close to his 90′s form when he returns after the All-Star break? I dont know if this is just another case of overblown optimism, or if there really is a chance that Pedro can come back and be as good as he was five years ago. But I do know this…  If Pedro does come back and pitches lights-out, the Mets will win 100 games in 2007. You read it here first.