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Braves & Chipper Jones Agree to Terms on Contract Extension
Three-year extension includes option for 2013
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – The Atlanta Braves announced today that they have agreed to terms with third baseman Chipper Jones on a three-year contract extension. Jones was due to become a free agent after the 2009 season, but the extension runs through the 2012 campaign, with a vesting option for 2013, and virtually guarantees that the 36-year-old Jones will play his entire Major League career in a Braves uniform. Financial terms of the deal were not announced.
“This contract ensures that Chipper will play his whole career as a Brave, which was a key factor for us, our fans and for Chipper,” Braves Executive Vice President and General Manager Frank Wren said. “Chipper has been an outstanding performer with our club for a long time and he is still a key part of our team.”
The 1999 National League Most Valuable Player and a six-time All-Star, Jones has posted one of the most impressive careers ever for a switch hitter. His .310 lifetime batting average ranks second all-time among switch hitters, behind only Frankie Frisch (.316), while his 408 home runs rank third behind Mickey Mantle (536) and Eddie Murray (504). Jones is the only switch hitter in history with at least 300 home runs and a .300 career batting average.
In 2008, Jones claimed his first career batting title by hitting .364, the second-best single-season average ever for a switch hitter, behind Mantle’s .365 mark in 1957. Jones also clubbed 22 home runs with 75 RBI in 128 games. His home run total eclipsed 20 for the 14th straight season, tying him with Eddie Mathews as the only players in history to open their career with 14 consecutive 20-homer campaigns. A 20-homer season in 2009 will move Jones past Mathews.
Jones, who is the all-time Atlanta leader in nearly every offensive category, ranks ninth among all active players in career batting average, eighth in on-base percentage (.408), 11th in home runs, 12th in runs (1,378), 12th in RBI (1,374), and 13th in doubles (449).
Selected by the Braves as the first overall pick in the 1990 draft, Jones made his Major League debut in 1993. He missed the entire 1994 campaign due to a left knee injury, and finished second in N.L. Rookie of the Year voting in 1995, when he batted .265 with 23 home runs and 86 RBI.
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