LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – There was plenty familiar about the older guy in the Braves uniform who took ground balls at third base briefly during batting practice Thursday. Yep, it was No. 10.
Chipper Jones, in camp as a Braves special assistant to baseball operations, took a few grounders during Braves batting practice. The 43-year-old retired third baseman retired after the 2012 season, and will almost certainly be a first-ballot selection to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018.
And no, there’s no chance he’ll push back that five-year HOF waiting period by playing again.
“He wouldn’t sign for league minimum,” said Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez, who joked with Jones after watching him take grounders. “I was getting ready to give him a contract for league minimum and he says, ‘No.’”
Jones has been in camp since March 12 and done some of most duties the Braves said he’d do after he was hired in December: Help with hitters? Check. Evaluate minor league talent? Check. Scout potential draft picks? Check. (Jones traveled to a high school game nearly Orlando with Braves general manager John Coppolella on a scouting trip Wednesday, the team’s only off day of spring training.)
“We are fortunate for many reasons to have Chipper back with the Braves,” Coppolella said Thursday, “and he will have the opportunity to experience all facets of baseball operations.”
“He loves being around,” Gonzalez said. “He’s talking to the hitters, he’s in there, he’s interjected himself in meetings. We’ve asked him to come out and talk about players; it’s nice to get a different perspective at times. He’s been great. He’s going to be around more often and I’m looking forward to that.
“He’s all-in. He gets here early in the morning, talk about players, and he goes down to the minor leagues when we’re not here (for home games). I’m going to try to convince him to go with me on the trip (Friday) to Lakeland (for split-squad game vs. Tigers). But no, he’s been great. He’s really been great.”
