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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. 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.
Still, in an era where seemingly every great player hangs on far past his prime, it's sort of admirable to see someone spit out words "average" and "mediocre" like they're almost unspeakably dirty. Chipper's message is clear; prior to 2009, he's received MVP votes in every season of his career except for two, he's made six All-Star teams and won two Silver Sluggers. He's not average and he can't even abide by the thought.
Whatever Jones ends up doing, whether he retires in 2010 or further down the line, his legacy as one of the greatest switch-hitters of all time is secure. He's earned the right to go out on his own terms, whatever those end up being.
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