On the Block
A Brave for Life: Chipper signs deal
Atlanta Braves All-Star third baseman Chipper Jones agreed Tuesday to a three-year, $42 million contract extension through 2012, a deal that may turn Jones into the ultimate sports rarity — a one-franchise athlete.
Included in the deal is an option for a fourth year, making the potential for the extension worth $61 million.
Jones, the first overall pick in the 1990 draft, has played 15 major league seasons with the team.
A six-time All-Star, he was the NL’s Most Valuable Player in 1999. He is the only switch-hitter with at least 300 homers and a .300 career batting average.
A career .310 hitter, Jones posted a career-high .364 batting average in 2008 to go with 22 homers and 75 runs batted in during 128 games, establishing himself as one of the greatest switch- hitters in baseball history.
It seems this All Star only gets better with age and if so, the Braves have one hell of a veteran presence in their lineup.
Ashley is a senior journalism student at the University of Florida, pursuing a career in sports journalism. She believes that life without baseball is no life at all.