At Braves spring training, when this photo was taken on the field in West Palm Beach in 1994, the baseball world couldn’t wait to see Chipper Jones join the starting lineup.
At the time, Jones had three major league at-bats, two of them hits, and the Braves badly needed someone to replace Ron Gant in left field after he was injured in an off-season dirt bike accident.
But then came the exhibition game against the Yankees in Fort Lauderdale on March 19.
I remember the sound like it was yesterday.
During the fifth inning, Jones hit a ball to short. Jim Leyritz, not a name Braves fans speak glowingly of, was playing first for the Yankees and was pulled off the bag. Jones tried to avoid the tag and the result was a loud pop in his left knee and a torn ACL.
I ran down to the clubhouse where reporters are allowed during spring games and watched them carry Jones into the small training room. I remember seeing the pain on Jones’ face. They closed the door, but even though the official news wouldn’t come until the next day, I knew it was bad.
The season was over for the rookie.
“Up to that point things were going so well, but I’ll never forget that moment,’ said Jones, who today owns the 10,000-acre Double Dime ranch in southwest Texas. It was named for the No. 10 jersey he and his father wore. “I had worked so hard to get there. I was so ready to play. But everything worked out fine.’’
Indeed. Jones worked tirelessly through his rehab and came back in 1995 and finished second in the rookie of the year balloting (Dodgers starter Hideo Nomo won), hitting .265 with 23 home runs and 86 RBIs. He would have other knee problems during his 19-year career, but he would also compile a .303 career average and 468 home runs. He was an eight-time All-Star, won the MVP season (1999), the NL batting title in 2008 (.364) and surely will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot when he becomes eligible in 2018.
And while he may be spending his days hanging out in a deer stand in Texas, Atlanta hasn’t seen the last of Jones, who said earlier this year, “I’m sure one of these days you’ll see me back around in some way shape or form.”
