Kuzul

The Braves enter their mid-week series with division rival Florida Marlins 4-6, a record that most in the baseball world would call a mild fiasco for a team that garnered such praise out of March.

After putting together a strong opening series in Washington, the Braves have gone on to lose five out of the last seven games in series against the Brewers and Phillies.

Does this early-season skid foretell of another long summer in A-Town? People are already wanting Fredi Gonzalez out, Terry Pendleton brought back as hitting coach, and Freddie Freeman sent to AAA.

Ah, Braves fans…. you never fail to show the world why patience and dignity are never found without the other.

There are some definite signs that show the Braves are not going to revert back to being a team that bobbles below and above .500 in 2011, but that they actually have the makings of a National League powerhouse.

Here are 10 positives the team has shown through the first 10 games of the season.

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Larry Wayne Jones has been playing for the Atlanta Braves since 1993.  Set to turn 39 on April 24, the man you all know as “Chipper” is in his 18th season with the same club—that alone is noteworthy.

But on Friday, Jones added to his already impressive legacy by collecting a pair of hits to put his career total at 2,500.

Former manager Bobby Cox was in attendance, watching his club rough up the Phillies and starter Cliff Lee—all things considered, the night was just about perfect.  Jones agreed, saying afterward, “I couldn’t have scripted it better.”

Jones became the 93rd member of the 2,500-hit club and is only the ninth switch-hitter to achieve the feat.  He’s also three RBI away from 1,500, and upon reaching that milestone, Chipper will join Eddie Murray as the only switch-hitters with that kind of production.

But as impressive as the 2,500 hits are, my first thought was of the next plateau.

Chipper Jones has played in nearly 2,300 games while compiling a lifetime .306 batting average.  And it took him this long just to get to 2,500.  In order to reach the lofty mark of 3,000 hits, he’d have to play three more seasons at his current pace.

In short, his milestone highlights how difficult it really is to get to 3,000.

Jones has hit better than .320 in a season five different times.  His best batting year came in 2008 when he led the N.L. with a .364 average.  He’s eclipsed .300 a total of 10 times.  

It would be tough to find better numbers.  Yes, he’s missed some time to injury (perhaps 1,000 at-bats’ worth), but even if he was to have those back, he’d likely still be short of the 3,000 mark.

For such an accomplished hitter to still be so far from the historic mark makes me truly appreciate how incredible 3,000 hits really is.

In the modern game’s 110-year history, only 27 players have 3,000 or more hits.

None of this is meant to detract from what Chipper has done.  The guy has been a dependable fixture in Atlanta.  He was Rookie of the Year runner-up, won an MVP, was a six-time All-Star and will almost certainly be a Hall of Fame selection.

Jones is not only one of the game’s best switch-hitters, he’s also one of the best all-around third baseman in history.  As my Bleacher Report colleague Rich Stowe points out in this piece, Chipper will probably be among the all-time top three at the hot corner when all is said and done.

But pondering his greatness and his place in the game naturally leads to thoughts of other records by other greats.

That aside, congratulations to Jones.  Here’s to one more big year. 

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Last night Chipper Jones continued his hot start to his 18th major league season by going 2-4 with a double and a single, including three RBI. His second hit was also Jones’ 2,500th of his career, adding another stat to his Hall of Fame career.

Jones has been considered one of the best switch-hitters of all time. I agree with this, and think that he is at worst the third best of all time, but could he be even higher? Statistically speaking anyway? Time to find out.

I am matching him up with Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray, two of the greatest players in baseball history. We’ll be looking at the trio’s 162-game averages as well as their career marks in the statistics given. The numbers speak for themselves as far as Jones’ career goes.

Without further ado, let’s get this started.

Editor’s Note: Jones’ current 2011 numbers are added to his totals.

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What more do you want from Chipper now? 

He now has the hits, he is a few RBI from 1,500, and he has the home runs. What makes these stats more special is that he is a switch hitter.

If, more like when, he reaches that 1,500 RBI mark, then he will be only the second switch hitter in baseball history to have that amount of RBI, as well as 2,500 hits.

Some people do not think he will get in because he doesn’t have 3,000 hits, or he hasn’t hit 500 HRs. But what he has done, I think, should easily get him in.

How many players have a lifetime .306 batting average and .405 OBP over 10 years? Not many, and those that do are, or will be, in the Hall of Fame. 

Plus, unlike many great players of the past 10 to 15 years, Chipper has never been caught in a scandal. He has always been a clean, honest player who uses his own athletic skill.

Others say that he has been too injured and unproductive in these past few years to make it in the HOF. So? Many baseball greats tail off towards the end of their careers. Plus, Chipper has hit at least ten home runs in his off years instead of hitting .200 and missing 100 games.

Another factor that makes Chipper a special player is that he has played for the same team for his entire 17-year career. Once again, what other offensive players of his magnitude have done that?

He has been such a valuable player for the Braves. He has been their offensive masterpiece during these 17 years. He has been a consistent, reliable, and an overall solid player for Atlanta.

In fact, he was and is so consistent that he tied the record for 14 consecutive 20-plus HRs to start his career. The fact that only he and fellow Brave and switch hitter Eddie Mathews are the only ones that have done that is astounding. 

To cap off all of the great accolades for Chipper, he is the only switch-hitter in MLB history to have a career batting average above .300 and have more than 400 HRs. 

His career is not over, and his numbers could get even better. He already is currently hitting .345 for this season with six RBI. 

Even if he decided to retire last year, he still would deserve to be in the hall of fame. But now it is almost irrefutable that he deserves to make the Baseball Hall of Fame. 

What more do want from Chipper now?

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Chipper Jones, 3B Atlanta Braves—Here’s a salty veteran for you. Chipper has come flying out of the gates hitting .353 with two RBI and one run. I know it doesn’t look great, but if he can continue to open hot like he has in the past, the RBI and HR numbers will come. Jones is the type of player you ride a hot start with, then dump him as the season goes on and he starts battling injuries. Pick him up and ride out the production.

Brandon Belt, 1B San Francisco Giants—He has not been hitting the ball especially well so far as he’s only going .154 with a homer and four RBI. Yet, it is mainly the fact that he made the team and is getting playing time that should be noticed. Belt is a top prospect with the ability to come in and make an impact as evidenced by his three-run jack on the second game of the season.

Kyle Drabek, SP Toronto Blue Jays—I wrote about him earlier this week, but I’ll say it again. Kyle Drabek is fantasy worthy. The kid’s got a ton of promise that he showed us in his first start by going seven innings giving up one run on one hit with seven strikeouts. Drabek should be a solid play down the stretch this year. Last season, he struggled when he came up, but has had a great spring and another great first start and looks to be an asset for fantasy teams everywhere.

JP Arencibia, C Toronto Blue Jays—Oh look, another rookie and another Blue Jay. Arencibia is another guy I have been hyping for quite some time now. I was happy to see him go 3-for-4 with a couple dingers, five RBI and two runs. Obviously the talent is there, but the question is whether he will get enough playing time to justify picking him up and maybe even starting him. If he can continue to come out of the gate hot, playing time should not be an issue down the road.

Brenan Boesch, OF Detroit Tigers—Boesch struggled last season down the stretch, hitting .163 in his final 68 games. He does not look to be struggling to open this season. He is hitting .500 with a HR, four RBI and five runs. Boesch is not going to blow you away with numbers, but he is young and has the potential to contribute and also has the potential to receive the majority of the at-bats over Ryan Raburn.

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Each year, players call an end to a career in Major League Baseball for various reasons. Some become tired of the daily grind and want to focus more on family, some have simply gotten older and are unable to compete at a desired level, and some are unable to fully recover from prior injuries.

This spring, several players have already announced their retirement, including Garrett Anderson, Jim Edmonds, Ian Snell and Mike Hampton. While Anderson, Edmonds and Hampton all enjoyed varying degrees of success, and each with over 15 years of MLB experience, Snell retired at the age of 29, unable to fully realize his potential after being drafted in the 26th round of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

We will take a look at 12 players who will likely call it a career after the end of the 2011 season, and conclude whether or not some of the players should have retired earlier, or if they could possibly continue to play at a high level going forward.

For continuing coverage of Major League Baseball, follow Doug on Twitter @Sports_A_Holic.

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You know their name, but can you trust their game? Here are some former fantasy studs that you should avoid on fantasy draft day.

Chipper Jones, 3B, Atlanta Braves
I love Chipper Jones. I believe he has put together a Hall of Fame career. I wouldn’t touch him this year, even with his reasonable 186 ADP. He hit just .264 and .265 the past two years. He has just one 500 at-bat season (2007) in his past seven years. It was easy to justify owning him when he was hitting well north of .300, but he’ll be 39 in April. He’s far to great of an injury risk to trust on your team. If he slides big time in your draft, maybe you can take a look at him since third base is so shallow, but he’s going (on average) before Placido Polanco, Chase Headley, Kevin Kouzmanoff and countless other that will like be more productive this year.

Alfonso Soriano, OF, Chicago Cubs
It’s not that Soriano shouldn’t be on fantasy rosters. I just think you can get far better value at his ADP of 98. Some of the outfielders that are going (on average) after him are Corey Hart, Nick Markakis, Delmon Young, Michael Stanton, Drew Stubbs and a rash of other superior options. Again, if he slides in your draft go ahead and take him, but his speed has diminished and his power is average. Take someone with more upside because Soriano is obviously on the wrong side of his career track.

Manny Ramirez, OF, Tampa Bay Rays
Manny has just 28 home runs in his past 194 games. His OPS (.869) was the lowest since his first cup of coffee with the Indians back in 1993. It was just .739 in his 24 games with the White Sox. Do I believe Manny can still hit? Absolutely. The problem is whether or not he’ll be motivated. Can he stay healthy? There are a lot of questions for somebody with an ADP of 160.

Miguel Tejada, SS, San Francisco Giants
Tejada had an OPS of .693 last year for the Orioles and the Padres, which is a far cry for his career mark of .801. He rarely misses, so health shouldn’t be a concern. I just fear that his skills are eroding. After all he’ll be 37 in May. On top of that, Bruce Bochy already acknowledges that he will give Tejada plenty or rest this year. His ADP of 203 makes him a reasonable option. I just prefer guys with more upside.

Johnny Damon, OF, Tampa Bay Rays
Had the Rays not signed Manny Ramirez, I would like Damon a little more. He would be able to get some at bats at designated hitter. Playing in the field could take its toll on Damon, who turned 37 in November. He hit just eight home runs last year, and I don’t see significant growth in that category. He could have hot streaks, in which I would entertain riding them out, but I’m not getting a warm and fuzzy feeling that his return to the AL East will be favorable.

Also check out:

• 2011 Fantasy Baseball Value Picks
• 2011 Fantasy Baseball Profiles
• 2011 Fantasy First Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only First Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only First Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Second Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only Second Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only Second Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Third Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only Third Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only Third Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Shortstop Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only Shortstop Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only Shortstop Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Catcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only Catcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only Catcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Outfielder Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only Outfielder Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only Outfielder Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Starting Pitcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only Starting Pitcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only Starting Pitcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Closer Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only Closer Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only Closer Rankings

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Atlanta Braves finished the 2010 regular season with a 91-71 record, which was good enough to claim the National League Wild Card. They lost in the divisional round of the playoffs to the eventual World Series Champion San Francisco Giants in four games with every game being a one-run affair.

New manager Fredi Gonzalez replaces the legendary Bobby Cox and has a roster that should be in the playoff mix again.

Let’s take a look at player-by-player projections for the 2011 Braves based on the probable Opening Day lineup.

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For a sky copter sky plane traffic report on the outlook for the 2011 Bravos, let’s go to Captain Herb Emory.

How’s the season looking Captain Herb?

Captain Herb – Well, it looks like the Braves will be in contention for a NL Pennant in 2011. I like the addition of Uggla and no glaring losses. Freddie Gonzalez is a solid skipper who will take over for the great Bobby Cox. I wish we had one more lefties in the starting rotation for those series against the lefty dominated lineup of the Phillies. The Phillies will be tough to beat with that starting rotation.

Speaking of rotation, when was the last time you had your tires rotated? Go to Big 10 Tires to get them rotated today. How is the outfield looking Kim McCarthy?

Kim McCarthy – Well Captain Herb, the Braves outfield in 2011 has potential to be very good, but with question marks. Look for the J-Hey kid to have an All-Star year in right field. Also, look for McClouth to bounce back and have a solid year in center. Prado gets a look in left after a break out year in 2010 and Jordan Schafer adds flexibility.

Speaking of flexibility, Auto Zone has flexible hours to meet all of your automotive needs, visit your local Auto Zone today. How about that infield this year Mark Arum?

Mark Arum – Thanks Kim. The infield for the Braves has question marks this year. Uggla is a big addition that will bring much needed power to the lineup. Freddy Freeman takes over at first and has a lot of potential, but will have his ups and downs in his rookie season. Gonzalez is solid at shortstop and McCann is an All-Star catcher and may be the best in the game. Big question at third is how long until Chipper pulls a hammy or a groin? 

Speaking of hammy, be sure to visit Subway today for one of their delicious foot long ham sandwiches. Now for the pitching, let’s go to Doug “Fireball” Turnbull.

Doug “Fireball” Turnbull – Uh-oh, we now have a code red in the bullpen. Billy Wagner is retired and it looks like the Braves are counting on Craig Kimbrel and Jonny Venters as closers. Your backup route is to go with veterans Scott Linebrink and George Sherrill. 

The starting rotation has the potential to be one of the best. Huddy, D-Lowe, JJ and Tommy Hanson are solid but all righties. I would like to see Mike Minor have a break out year and become that much needed lefty in the starting rotation, especially in those head to head series with the Philadelphia. 

Speaking of Philadelphia, what a great movie starring Tom Hanks. Be sure to visit a Red Box movie rental and pick up a copy of Philadelphia or another great movie today. Back to you Captain Herb.

Captain Herb – That is a look at your sky copter sky plane view of the 2011 Atlanta Braves. Stay tuned for more and see what Kirk Mellish has for the Braves outlook on his Mellish Meter!

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Spring training games offer much for the baseball world.  They offer knowledge; they offer glimpses of the upcoming season; they offer looks at minor league up-and-comers; and they offer first looks at those recovering from injury.  

Spring training games are not your average games—they do not feature a team’s starters all the way through for the most part—but they do offer looks and lessons to be learned.

The first few days of spring training are in the books, and baseball teams and fans have already learned much.  T

he Yankees have learned that Bartolo Colon can still pitch, but he is very, very heavy on the mound. The Braves have learned that Chipper seems to be recovering fairly well from his knee surgery. The Twins have learned that neither Mauer, nor Morneau are completely healthy.  

The Rockies have learned that even spring training games can result in injury as a collision between Ian Stewart and Carlos Gonzalez showed. The A’s learned that Michael Choice is a baller.  The Padres and Mariners learned that minor league pitchers in spring training games can have some very, very bad showings that lead to massive run production—a total of 25 runs scored.  

The Phillies learned that their aces are on point, but Chase Utley has knee tendonitis. The Marlins learned that Mike Stanton has a strained right quad.

Spring training can also lull teams and fans into a false sense of success.

Teams get a good spring win/loss record, and everyone starts to see visions of the post season dancing in their heads, only to come crashing back to earth when the regular season begins.  

Spring training games have to be taken with a grain of salt—especially early on.  

While there is much to be learned from spring training games, the real story only starts to develop as opening day approaches; but that is still several weeks away.  

In the meantime, teams and fans can enjoy a little bit of what they might see in the regular season, and a lot of what they might see in the future from minor leaguers who get playing time.  

All in all though, every bit of knowledge is to be absorbed like a sponge for all those winter starved baseball lovers.

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