Chipper Jones Named to MLB All-Star Game, Final Vote Field Narrowed

With Matt Kemp officially pulling out of the All-Star Game (he was voted in to start by the fans), Tony

LaRussa has selected Chipper Jones as his replacement on the roster.  Jones had previously been named as one of the five players selected to be in the Final Vote.  Now, with Jones on the National League roster, the odds have suddenly increased for the remaining NL contenders.

Jones is in what he says will be his final season.  He is a Hall of Famer, plain and simple.  In 19 Major League seasons, Jones has hit .304/.402/.532.  His OPS+ is 141.  He has over 2600 hits and 460 home runs.  And he did all this with one team; the Atlanta Braves.

Chipper Jones is batting over .300 so far this year.  If he hits over .300 for the season, it will be the first time since 2008 that he would have done so.  Jones blew out his knee toward the end of last season and there was speculation that his career would end with that injury.  Of course, that wasn’t the case, and Jones has gone on this season to be one of the most productive Braves in the lineup.

As for the final vote, with Jones out, the candidates are now Aaron Hill, Michael Bourn, Bryce Harper, and David Freese.  Each candidate’s chances have increased slightly with Jones being named as a replacement All-Star.

For Jones, this will be his eighth All-Star appearance.  He also won the National League MVP in 1999.  With the Braves, Jones has played in three World Series, six NLCS, and 11 NLDS.  He has a career postseason line of .288/.411/.459 with 13 home runs.

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