Jones also had a down year in 2004, but then posted four straight years with an OPS of .968 or better, though he missed time with injuries in all three. Really, his batted ball numbers for 2009 match up pretty closely with his numbers from 2007 and 2006, and his strikeout rate and walk rate aren't changing much, so it seems possible that Chipper's just seeing some bad luck this year that's driving his average down and leaving him frustrated. If that's the case and he gets back on line next year, he'll likely play out his contract (which runs through 2012) out before retiring.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that the body of a 22-year old man was found on the ranch owned by Chipper Jones and his family in Texas. Jones' father says that the man was found on a remote part of the 10,000-acre ranch that isn't visited daily. He also believes the man entered the country illegally and died as a result of the extreme heat in southwest Texas over the past few months.
Jones has obviously been away from the ranch for the past few months himself; he apparently learned the details of the situation through a phone call with his father. Beyond that, there really aren't many details known about the situation. The police have been notified, but there's no word about any investigation.
On Friday, the Braves celebrated Greg Maddux's election into their Hall of Fame by throwing a luncheon in his honor. Baseball fans, of course, recognize him as one of the greatest pitchers of all time. However, he's about as much of a pop-culture presence as Hideki Irabu (Maddux pieced together a shoo-in Hall of Fame career as quietly as possible; Irabu was mentioned in the series finale of Seinfeld).
I'd venture to guess that Maddux isn't bothered by this in the least. He humored his peers, but I suspect that he spent the entire luncheon silently reciting the Periodic Table of Elements to himself, or trying to remember whether Calvin Coolidge died before or after Herbert Hoover.
A Dugout in honor of Greg Maddux is after the jump. Greg Maddux is ambivalent.
Have you seen the commercial for this year's All-Star Game yet? If not, here's a brief summary. A hand comes out of the sky and pulls the Gateway Arch out of the ground. It turns out that the Gateway Arch is a magnet that can attract baseball players and fans to it. (A special magnet.) The hand moves it all around America, picks up a bunch of people, then dumps them all on the Busch Stadium turf while Albert Pujols stands there and scowls. It's amazing.
It takes a minute to watch, but an eternity to comprehend. Fortunately, The Dugout's Speculation Station is here to help. Your Dugout is after the jump, and so is the video.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
Hahaha. Get it? The Who? Tommy? Yeah. Dated cultural references mixed into fantasy baseball news FTW, eh? Sorry. Anyway, Tommy Hanson made his debut yesterday for the Atlanta Braves -- and while he was perfect through two innings, yeah, notsomuch the rest of the way: Hanson ended up getting knocked around for six hits and six earned through six innings (sign?) while striking out five and giving up three gofer balls.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
Max Scherzer, the 24-year-old fireballer for the Diamondbacks, has worlds of talent. He also takes a step back every time you think he's finally hitting his groove. This past week, he was a two-start pitcher in the fantasy baseball world. His first start was pure gold (that's gold, Jerry!). He threw 7 shutout innings and struck out 10 before getting chased in the eighth inning -- after allowing a few earned runs. He followed that up with an absolute catastrophe on Sunday. The light-hitting Braves touched him up for 10 hits and 8 earned runs in only 3 2/3 innings.
From the Windup is Matt Snyder's extended look at some aspect of America's pastime each Thursday.
I think we can all agree that it's far too early to start voting upon who the best 2009 players are when it's only the middle of May. That being said, there are certainly some shining stars at this point who deserve some props. Plus, Major League Baseball recently released their All-Star ballots for our voting pleasure -- we vote on who will start the All-Star Game. If that's not important, I don't know what is. Let's take a gander.
NEW YORK -- Chipper Jones had to dive to his right for Omir Santos' sharp grounder Tuesday night, and then Jones threw from his knees to nail Santos at first base.
For a moment, those watching -- and Chipper himself -- could forget that he was playing with a hyperextended right elbow.
And then, after letting go of the ball, he grimaced, and it was clear the elbow still throbs.
This is what Jones, the Braves' 37-year-old star third baseman, has become: a brittle player, but still a great one; someone worth getting on the field as often as possible, which isn't as often as it used to be.
Because Ibañez worries only about the perception of him by his family and peers, he has had no trouble fitting in with the Phillies. And while he says he will never try to justify his new three-year, $31.5 million deal – perhaps the most criticized signing of the offseason – he has thus far done just that.
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.
You Oughta Know ... That Matt LaPorta has arrived. LaPorta, the key player the Indians got in exchange for CC Sabathia last year, finally donned an Indians uniform on Saturday. LaPorta did not get into the game in his first day in the big leagues, but Tribe fans are certainly going to be eager to see him when he does.
LaPorta, 24, was the seventh overall pick in the 2007 draft. He is a big-time slugger, considered one of the top hitting prospects in baseball. LaPorta has played outfield and first base. The Indians could use him at either of those spots, or at DH in place of the injured Travis Hafner.
Chipper Jones is currently hitting .268/.390/.437 with 16 home runs and 64 RBI in 124 games. That seems pretty decent for a guy that turned 37 in April. His OPS+ is still 119 (placing him well above average) and though his defense is slipping, FanGraphs puts his WAR at 2.1, seventh-best in the National League among qualified third baseman. Decent apparently isn't good enough for Chipper, though, because he told the Atlanta-Journal Constitution that if 2010 doesn't go better than 2009 for him, he'll consider hanging up his spikes up for good. 
On Friday, 
Have you seen the commercial for this year's 
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
NEW YORK -- 
Starting Five
