With the 2017 MLB Draft beginning on Monday night, former Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones reflected on his time with the Braves and what happened after he was drafted first-overall in 1990 in “A Letter to My Younger Self” in The Players’ Tribune.
Out of Bolles High School in Jacksonville, Fla., Jones wrote some warnings and recounted some memories for his 18-year-old self.
In Jones’ letter, his passion for baseball spills on the page when he tells the story of hitting a double off a fastball from Roger “Rocket” Clemens while playing Triple A ball for the Richmond Braves.
“Even though you’re gonna curse yourself over and over again for not muscling up just a tad bit more and hitting it out the park, that double is going to be big for you... You’ll be smiling like crazy on the inside, though, because right then, at that very moment, you’ll know that you’re ready for the Show,” Jones wrote.
As part of his reflection on his personal life, Jones recounts his first marriage to Dr. Karin Luise that resulted in lying, financial troubles and ultimately divorce. Jones wrote he wasn’t a “big enough person” or “a good enough man” to resist the temptation of being unfaithful to Luise at the beginning of his career.
Jones tells readers his younger self will regret the hurt he caused and all his selfish decisions for the rest of his life.
All of Jones' "Letter to My Younger Self" can be read on The Players' Tribune.
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