Chipper Jones | PSA ProBatFacts℠ (2024)

Like contemporary star Craig Biggio, Chipper Jones quietly put up terrific numbers over a long career, a career that has placed him amongst the best third basem*n in MLB history. As a former batting title winner and NL MVP, hobbyists have plenty of reasons to add a Jones gamer to their collections. Jones used some different professional model bat brands throughout his career, including Louisville Slugger, Mizuno, Glomar and Rawlings/Adirondack, which was his preferred brand for most of his career. Jones did use some Louisville Slugger bats, especially early on, but he didn't appear to use many.

Most of the Jones gamers that collectors will encounter are of the unfinished, natural color variety, which he normally used while hitting from the left side. The slugging third baseman would only occasionally order bats with a darker finish, which were used during most right-handed plate appearances. On occasion, Jones bats can be found with "LT" (left handed) or "RT" (right handed) marked on the knob.

Well-used Jones bats will often exhibit pine tar along the upper and lower handle, often appearing caked in spots towards the base. The presence of the heavy tar helps give his bats great eye appeal, which is a serious consideration for many collectors of top lumber. Since Jones seemed to prefer Adirondack bats, it is not uncommon for bats with substantial use to have wear near his name on the barrel. The stamped names on Adirondack bats can be susceptible to flaking and chipping (no pun intended), which does bother some collectors.

His primary uniform number "10" can often be found noted in black marker on the knob or barrel end of his bats. Jones did wear number "16" during his debut season, but it was for a very brief period of time as he only had a total of four plate appearances.

Larry Wayne “Chipper” Jones (April 24, 1972-) debuted for the Atlanta Braves on a September call-up in 1993, becoming the youngest player in the league at the time, but went on to become the second greatest Brave of all-time behind Hank Aaron. Only Aaron played more games and spent more seasons wearing a Braves uniform. Atlanta took Chipper with the #1 overall pick of the 1990 MLB June Amateur Draft as a shortstop. Jones blew out his ACL during spring training in 1994 forcing him to sit out for the entire 1994 season. In 1995, Chipper, who had played at various positions early on, won the starting job at third base after the departure of All-Star Terry Pendleton. Jones made the most of his new position as he batted .265 with 23 home runs, earning MVP consideration and finishing second in the National League Rookie of the Year race. He also helped the perennial contending Braves over the hump as they defeated the Cleveland Indians in six games. The big, strong switch-hitter had his first .300+ season in his sophom*ore year and is the only Major League switch-hitter to average .300 or better for his career. The Atlanta Braves utilized Jones as needed as his career progressed; playing left field after the Braves acquired third bagger Vinny Castilla only to return to third two years later. He was a fan favorite, a favorite among teammates and a player’s player displaying not only an exceptional ability at whatever position he fielded, but as an ambassador of the game as well as through his community contributions. Chipper is an eight-time National League All-Star, has won two NL Silver Slugger Awards and in 1999 won the National League’s Most Valuable Player Award. He also took home the Players Choice Award, voted on by his fellow Major Leaguers. Though he has enjoyed better numbers at other times during his career, in the 1999 campaign, Chipper batted .319 with 181 hits including a career-high 45 home runs, scored 116 runs, stole a career-high 25 bases and drove in 110 runs. In 2008, Jones won the batting title as he hit .364 with a .470 slugging percentage. Over the course of his 19-year career in Atlanta, Jones has posted a .957 career fielding percentage with 1,771 putouts, 3,581 assists, 301 double plays and 243 errors in 5,595 chances. Chipper Jones ended his career with a .303 batting average, 2,726 hits including 549 doubles and 468 home runs, has scored 1,619 runs, stolen 150 bases and driven in 1,623 RBI. Chipper Jones was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2018.