Saturday, March 04, 2006
Mailbag: Braves feeling 'Chipper' in '06?
01/30/2006
What do you think is in store for Chipper Jones this season? Do you think that his career is winding down because of all of his recent injuries? Or do you think he will put up a few more good years and make a run at the Hall of Fame?-- Kurt G., Santa Cruz, Calif.
Jones' recent injuries have concerned him enough that he's committed himself to a much more stringent offseason conditioning program. He's hired a personal trainer and altered a lifestyle that he admits used to consist of at least three trips a week to a fast food restaurant.
This doesn't guarantee he'll be able to avoid the injury bug, which has wrecked his past two seasons. But it's certainly going to give him a better to chance to stay healthy in a time where he and every other 34-year-old athlete's body has more tendency to break down.
Had he committed himself to more stretching and flexibility exercises, there's a chance he could have avoided the hamstring problems that plagued him throughout the 2004 season. But even in top shape, there's no guarantee that he wouldn't have suffered the freak left foot injury that caused him to spend six weeks on the disabled list last year.
Injuries are simply a part of athletics. They've certainly slowed Jones' march toward Cooperstown. At the same time, these specific injuries have also robbed Braves fans the chance to see a certain Hall of Fame-caliber athlete in what could have been some of his prime years.
Before Jones injured his foot on April 24 (his birthday) last year, he was hitting .381 and had a .513 on-base percentage. Along the way, he produced two at-bats that displayed both his immense skill and knowledge of the game.
They resulted in two of the softest doubles he's ever produced. But they were works of art. Batting from the left side in both instances, he simply put his bat on outside pitches and directed them over third base and into shallow left field. They produced video that hitting coaches and parents can forever use to show the importance of using your hands while swinging.
Then came the foot injury and another year of frustration for one of the greatest switch-hitters the game has seen. When he returned from the disabled list, he produced another torrid stretch, one in which he hit .463 over a 16-game span.
So it's obvious Jones still has the potential to be among the game's elite. He just has to hope that those baseball gods he so often references are a little kinder to him than they've been the past two years.
Can you compare Dale Murphy's stats with Andruw Jones' at the same point (that Andruw is now) in their careers?-- Mark H., Forest, Miss.
There are a couple of different ways to do this. I decided it would be best to compare them using the numbers produced in their first nine full seasons. Andruw played in just 31 games in 1995 and Murphy totaled just 37 games in the 1976 and 1977 seasons.
In his first full nine seasons, Jones has hit .268 with 296 homers and 881 RBIs. As for Murphy, he hit .276 with 264 homers and 799 RBIs.
By this time, Murphy also had won two NL MVP Awards and five Gold Gloves. Andruw's accomplishments include eight consecutive Gold Gloves and the satisfaction that last year earned him every award but the NL MVP.
During Murphy's ninth full season, he was 30 years old. Jones was 28.
There are a lot of similarities in the comparison of these two Braves greats. Some of the disparities in the power numbers are created with the fact Murphy didn't have the supporting cast Jones has had and he played in an era that included larger ballparks and fewer expansion teams. His numbers also include the strike-shortened 1981 season in which he hit 13 homers -- the same total Jones recorded just in June last year.
I'm very excited about the acquisition of Brad Baker from the Padres. I've been watching him progress over the past couple of years. What do you think his role will be this year?-- Zach H., Oakley, Calif.
Baker certainly has a shot to be in the bullpen mix at the beginning of the year. One Braves executive compared him to Greg McMichael, who certainly had a respectable big league career.
While Baker has had success in the Minors in the closer's role, I'd say he'll likely be a middle reliever at the start of this season. But it's certainly beneficial to know that he has experience closing games.
Are the players that are participating in the World Baseball Classic still going to be at the Spring Training workouts in February? Will they play in any Spring Training games with the Braves at all?-- Chris C. Bradenton, Fla.
All players will report to their respective big league teams and then join their national teams five days before the World Baseball Classic begins. In relation to the Braves players that will be affected, this means they'll leave camp on March 2 -- the same day the Grapefruit League season begins.
Players will remain with their national teams until they have been eliminated. So if Chipper Jones were to play and Team USA advances to the championship round, there's a chance he could be away from Atlanta's camp from March 2-20.
Of the Braves who are non-roster invitees, which player or players has the best chance to make the team?-- Phil P., Rockville, Md.
I'd have to say Brian Jordan and Mike Remlinger are the most likely. If Jordan proves he's healthy, the Braves may want to begin the season with him serving as a backup outfielder.
Remlinger may be even more likely to make the team. The Braves are hopeful that he has indeed regained strength in his left shoulder that was surgically repaired in October 2003.
If Remlinger makes the team, he would certainly provide a valuable veteran presence in the bullpen. But the fact that he seemed to decline as last year progressed certainly raises doubts about how effective he could be.
What would your Braves' Opening Day lineup be for this season?-- Aaron T., Athens, Ga.
Source: http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/
What do you think is in store for Chipper Jones this season? Do you think that his career is winding down because of all of his recent injuries? Or do you think he will put up a few more good years and make a run at the Hall of Fame?-- Kurt G., Santa Cruz, Calif.
Jones' recent injuries have concerned him enough that he's committed himself to a much more stringent offseason conditioning program. He's hired a personal trainer and altered a lifestyle that he admits used to consist of at least three trips a week to a fast food restaurant.
This doesn't guarantee he'll be able to avoid the injury bug, which has wrecked his past two seasons. But it's certainly going to give him a better to chance to stay healthy in a time where he and every other 34-year-old athlete's body has more tendency to break down.
Had he committed himself to more stretching and flexibility exercises, there's a chance he could have avoided the hamstring problems that plagued him throughout the 2004 season. But even in top shape, there's no guarantee that he wouldn't have suffered the freak left foot injury that caused him to spend six weeks on the disabled list last year.
Injuries are simply a part of athletics. They've certainly slowed Jones' march toward Cooperstown. At the same time, these specific injuries have also robbed Braves fans the chance to see a certain Hall of Fame-caliber athlete in what could have been some of his prime years.
Before Jones injured his foot on April 24 (his birthday) last year, he was hitting .381 and had a .513 on-base percentage. Along the way, he produced two at-bats that displayed both his immense skill and knowledge of the game.
They resulted in two of the softest doubles he's ever produced. But they were works of art. Batting from the left side in both instances, he simply put his bat on outside pitches and directed them over third base and into shallow left field. They produced video that hitting coaches and parents can forever use to show the importance of using your hands while swinging.
Then came the foot injury and another year of frustration for one of the greatest switch-hitters the game has seen. When he returned from the disabled list, he produced another torrid stretch, one in which he hit .463 over a 16-game span.
So it's obvious Jones still has the potential to be among the game's elite. He just has to hope that those baseball gods he so often references are a little kinder to him than they've been the past two years.
Can you compare Dale Murphy's stats with Andruw Jones' at the same point (that Andruw is now) in their careers?-- Mark H., Forest, Miss.
There are a couple of different ways to do this. I decided it would be best to compare them using the numbers produced in their first nine full seasons. Andruw played in just 31 games in 1995 and Murphy totaled just 37 games in the 1976 and 1977 seasons.
In his first full nine seasons, Jones has hit .268 with 296 homers and 881 RBIs. As for Murphy, he hit .276 with 264 homers and 799 RBIs.
By this time, Murphy also had won two NL MVP Awards and five Gold Gloves. Andruw's accomplishments include eight consecutive Gold Gloves and the satisfaction that last year earned him every award but the NL MVP.
During Murphy's ninth full season, he was 30 years old. Jones was 28.
There are a lot of similarities in the comparison of these two Braves greats. Some of the disparities in the power numbers are created with the fact Murphy didn't have the supporting cast Jones has had and he played in an era that included larger ballparks and fewer expansion teams. His numbers also include the strike-shortened 1981 season in which he hit 13 homers -- the same total Jones recorded just in June last year.
I'm very excited about the acquisition of Brad Baker from the Padres. I've been watching him progress over the past couple of years. What do you think his role will be this year?-- Zach H., Oakley, Calif.
Baker certainly has a shot to be in the bullpen mix at the beginning of the year. One Braves executive compared him to Greg McMichael, who certainly had a respectable big league career.
While Baker has had success in the Minors in the closer's role, I'd say he'll likely be a middle reliever at the start of this season. But it's certainly beneficial to know that he has experience closing games.
Are the players that are participating in the World Baseball Classic still going to be at the Spring Training workouts in February? Will they play in any Spring Training games with the Braves at all?-- Chris C. Bradenton, Fla.
All players will report to their respective big league teams and then join their national teams five days before the World Baseball Classic begins. In relation to the Braves players that will be affected, this means they'll leave camp on March 2 -- the same day the Grapefruit League season begins.
Players will remain with their national teams until they have been eliminated. So if Chipper Jones were to play and Team USA advances to the championship round, there's a chance he could be away from Atlanta's camp from March 2-20.
Of the Braves who are non-roster invitees, which player or players has the best chance to make the team?-- Phil P., Rockville, Md.
I'd have to say Brian Jordan and Mike Remlinger are the most likely. If Jordan proves he's healthy, the Braves may want to begin the season with him serving as a backup outfielder.
Remlinger may be even more likely to make the team. The Braves are hopeful that he has indeed regained strength in his left shoulder that was surgically repaired in October 2003.
If Remlinger makes the team, he would certainly provide a valuable veteran presence in the bullpen. But the fact that he seemed to decline as last year progressed certainly raises doubts about how effective he could be.
What would your Braves' Opening Day lineup be for this season?-- Aaron T., Athens, Ga.
Source: http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/
