page_title: Chipper Jones
section_title: 2008–2011
hierarchical_section_title: Chipper Jones / Professional career / Major league career (1993–2012) / 2008–2011
caption_attribution_description: Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves
context_page_description: Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones Jr. is an American former Major League Baseball player and current broadcast analyst. Jones was the Atlanta Braves' number one overall pick in the 1990 MLB draft and their primary third baseman from 1995 to 2012. He was also a member of their 1995 World Series championship that beat the Cleveland Indians. An eight-time All-Star, Jones won the 1999 National League Most Valuable Player Award and the 1999 and 2000 NL Silver Slugger Award for third basemen. He was the MLB batting champion in 2008 after hitting .364.
  Jones ended his career in 2012 with a .303 career batting average, 468 home runs, and 1,623 RBI. He has the most career RBI for a third baseman and holds the Braves team record for career on-base percentage; Jones ranks third on the Braves career home run list. He spent his entire 19-year MLB career and all 23 years as a professional baseball player in the Atlanta organization.
  Among switch hitters, Jones ranks second behind Eddie Murray for career RBI, and he is the only switch hitter in MLB history with a career batting average of at least .300 and 400 or more home runs.
context_section_description: Jones began the 2008 season where he left off in 2007, hitting over .400 in April while slugging 7 home runs. He also had back-to-back games in which he hit two home runs. Despite these accomplishments, he ultimately lost the NL Player of the Month award in April to Chase Utley. On June 13, Jones was hitting .414 with 15 home runs, but his average dropped to .393 by June 22.
  He hit his 400th career home run on June 5 off Ricky Nolasco of the Florida Marlins, and he was named NL Player of the Week for the week of June 2–8. He was picked to start in the 2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, receiving the most votes by fans, managers, and other players of any NL third basemen. Jones won his first batting title at age 36, the oldest switch-hitter to win a batting title. Jones hit .364 during 2008, one point off the all-time switch-hitter high for a season of .365, set by Mickey Mantle in 1957.
  In 2008, Jones tied an MLB record for most consecutive 20+ home run seasons to start a career (14).
  In December 2008, Jones accepted an invitation to play for the USA team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He played alongside teammate Brian McCann. Jones was scratched from an elimination game in the 2009 World Baseball Classic after straining his right oblique muscle, while playing for team USA. The announcement came an hour before the game was to be played against team Netherlands. As reported by CBC News on March 13, 2009, Jones criticized Toronto and the play schedule of the World Baseball Classic.
  On March 31, 2009, Jones agreed to a three-year $42 million contract extension with the Braves; the deal includes an option that could become worth up to $61 million over four seasons. On May 28, against the Giants and Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum, Jones struck out four times in one game for the first time in his career.
  In 2009, he was ranked #10 on the Sporting News' list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball. A panel of 100 baseball people, many of them members of the Baseball Hall of Fame and winners of major baseball awards, were polled to compile at the list.
  In 2009, Jones led all major league third basemen in errors, with 22, and had the lowest fielding percentage of any starting major league third baseman (.930).
  Jones got off to a poor start in 2010 and met with Atlanta Braves management in June to discuss possible retirement at the end of the season, but his performance improved as the season progressed. Jones's season came to an end after he was injured in a game against the Houston Astros on August 10, 2010; injury reports indicated that he had torn the ACL in his left knee, which would require surgery. In an August 13 press conference, he stated that he would not retire, and that "I don't want the fans' final image of me to be one of me hurt on the field".
  During the off-season, Atlanta Braves general manager Frank Wren told David O’Brien of The Atlanta Journal Constitution that Jones would likely be ready for Opening Day stating "I think he's progressed very well. He had a setback earlier in the winter when he was away for a week – I think he was actually on a hunting trip – and he was not doing the [leg] lifts. But as soon as he got back on his weights, he was fine. Right now, talking to the trainers, he should not have any restrictions coming into spring training."
  Jones made great progress with his rehab and took part in spring training. He was in the Braves' opening day lineup against the Nationals, getting the first hit and scoring the first run of the 2011 Major League Baseball season.
  On April 8, 2011, Jones hit his 2,500th base hit in the Braves' home opener versus the Philadelphia Phillies. His former manager Bobby Cox was in attendance. On April 13, 2011, he recorded his 1,500th RBI, against the Florida Marlins, with a solo home run off Randy Choate. On April 26, 2011, Chipper recorded his 500th double against the San Diego Padres. He also tied Mickey Mantle for second most RBIs all time by a switch hitter; Jones passed Mantle for sole possession of second place all-time on April 27, 2011 (with 1,51
caption: Jones during a game against the San Diego Padres in 2009
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