Chipper is Incredible
January 14, 2012 at 11:00 am by Ben Duronio under Atlanta Braves
I was bored on twitter last night and started researching some Chipper Jones numbers (always a fun thing to do if you ever get bored on your computer, by the way). I started tweeting some interesting notes and stats, so I figured I would share them with those of you who for some reason do not have twitter.
Chipper Jones is 45 walks away from joining the 1,500 walk club. He will be just the 18th player to accomplish this feat. For comparisons sake, 28 players have 3,000 hits.
Only 11 players in MLB history have more than 1,500 walks and less than 1,500 strikeouts. With just 1,358 strikeouts, Chipper can join this group by season’s end.
With a minimum of 1,600 plate appearances, the only players to ever have an OPS+ of 165 or greater during their age 34-36 seasons combined are Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth, Chipper Jones, Tris Speaker, and Honus Wagner.
In Chipper’s age 36 season he hit .364 and had an OBP of .470, making him only the fifth player in MLB history to reach those plateaus in a single season at age 36 or higher. The others are Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, and Tris Speaker. Each of them have done this just once.
Chipper has reached base 4,087 times. He is one of only 43 players to reach base 4,000 times (does not include reached on errors), and currently ranks 36th.
Chipper is one of seven players in MLB history to have a line of .300/.400/.500 or better in over 10,000 plate appearances. The others are Babe Ruth, Frank Thomas, Mel Ott, Stan Musial, Ty Cobb, and Tris Speaker.
Only nine players compiled a line of .300/.400/.500 in their age 30-39 seasons, minimum 5,000 plate appearances. Chipper is one of them. The others are Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth, Manny Ramirez, Stan Musial, Edgar Martinez, Ken Williams, Tris Speaker, and Ty Cobb.
Chipper is one of fifteen players to hit over 200 homers and bat over .300 during throughout his 30′s.
Chipper is one of thirteen players to hit over 200 homers and have an OBP over .400 throughout his 30′s.
Chipper’s OPS+ of 142 in his 30′s ranks 17th all-time. His OPS of .925 over that span ranks 13th all-time.
Chipper’s bWAR of 44.4 in his 30′s ranks 20th all-time.
If Chipper nets 200 total bases this season (had 214 in ’11), he will be ranked 28th on the all-time list. He is currently ranked 40th at 4,579 total bases.
Loading ...
Hes been my favorite player since I was 2. Just incredible.
Great stats, Ben. I knew Chipper has been fairly successful in his thirties (despite the opinion of some main-stream fans), but I had know idea he has been THIS successful. The line that surprised me the most is that he has a .300/.400/.500 line in his 30s. Simply remarkable.
Perhaps CAC should bring back the old tagline: Chipper Jones is not dead.
He has also been my life long favorite brave. (well since 12 years old)
I knew he was good, and had some good numbers, but when you put him in a ranking perspective like this, along with the company he is with, it makes any argument against his HOF induction null.
This post is getting bookmarked for that very purpose..
Thanks Ben.
he’s a keeper
Thank you Todd van Poppel.
This feels like Jayson Stark’s column in 7 yrs or so making Chipper’s HOF case.
WOW! I thought before last year it had been questionable whether he was a HOFer. I would’ve thought D.Jeter would’ve been on some of those…guess he’s less of a “power-hitter.”
Great stats. Thanks, Ben.
Chipper: first-ballot HOFer.
Chipper, starting third baseman 2013.
George,
Chipper has not been a “questionable” Hall of Fame candidate is a long time. He is and has been a shoe-in. The debate is whether he is first ballot or not. Personally I feel like he probably is, especially if he can get another ring this year (or next if he decides to play in ’13).
Dude has been a machine his entire career. That 300/400/500 line really surprised me…
CJ will be one of the few third basemen in the HOF. He should go in on the first ballot, and thats before taking into consideration how good of a switch-hitter he was. Any argument to the contrary is nonsense….
More fuel for the fire:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/659088-chipper-jones-statistically-comparing-him-to-eddie-murray-and-mickey-mantle
Ben, are you arguing that he is a future HOF or has just aged well? Or do you just dream about Chipper all day long?
I much appreciated your very informative piece on Chipper. Here’s own of my own – around the mid-point of last season, Chipper was on a pace to hit 46 doubles, he missed some time and when he returned he dropped well-off of that pace.
Not the forum for trollers… Atlrod GET OFF
Thats good stuff! I’m praying those knees of his hold up for one or two more seasons if his contract is picked up because of performance metrics.
Now I know he should and most likely will retire a Brave, but has anyone ever thought about how deadly he would be if he had landed in the AL? For starters, he wouldn’t have tore his knee up again two seasons ago, and he probably wouldn’t have torn his meniscus last season compensating for previous injuries. His numbers as a DH would likely have shown about 10 to 20 % higher production during his 30s.
@14
I was mocking a certain crowd with my satirical comment. Apparently, it was either too realistic to be detected as satire, or that kind of sarcasm isn’t appreciated. I’ll withhold such posts in the future. Apologies.
Just go to show that, when healthy, he is STILL one of the most productive players in the league. Not so much in power these days, but OBP and good at bats. He’s the Greg Maddux of hitting.
I was wondering what if they Braves traded Chipper I wonder who we could have gotten and where he would have been sent too?
@17, I guess it depends when the trade was going to take place? Pre-2000? Early/mid/late 2000s?
talking like when he was in the minors as a trade chip to get someone
@20, he was the #1 pick so I am guessing the Braves would’ve demanded a hefty return as his minor stats were pretty good and they made a early call that he wouldn’t stick as a SS. Based on that I am guessing a #4 stype SP as back in the 90s prospects weren’t as highly prized. The Chipper pick was a great pick as the alternative was Todd Van Poppel (as noted by @5).
On a side note, a pretty good call to bring Wilson back for 2012 at $1m + incentives.
Given the benefit of hindsight, you only trade a minor-league Chipper for an “all-timer” starting pitcher: My suggestion is that he had been dealt for a young Roy Halladay, even though to this point in their respective careers Chipper has been worth ~ 20 more wins than RH. Can’t really think of another comparable at the moment…
Awesome article. I’m so glad that sabermetrics are so accessible and understood, partially because of how they can really put a career like Chipper’s into its historical perspective. Thanks Ben.
Ted Williams put up a .300/.400/.600 for his career, shouldn’t that count in the 300/400/500 line?
nvm, not enough PAs
WHAT TIMING. I DONT HAVE TWITTER.PRETTY AWESOME CAREER.HAVE BEEN BRAVES FAN SINCE DALE MURPHY DAYS.THANK YOU IT WAS APPRECIATED.
I was in the front row, field level, for the last game with the Phils. Watching Chipper deal with his knee after diving for shots and then almost win the game, late, except for the great play by the Phils CF was inspiring for any baseball fan.
….and I’ve been a Braves fan since Warren, Eddie, and the Hammer in Milwaukee.