Chipper is on a Mission

---

Atlanta -- For some reason,Chipper Jones acts as if he has something to prove this season. There's nothing wrong with a guy trying to summon up a little extra motivation, but it hardly seems warranted in this case. After all, how could Jones be down on himself after compiling these numbers a year ago: .295 average, 21 homers, 111 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.

Still, a month before spring training began, the Atlanta Braves third baseman went to work. While others were honing their golf swings, Jones grabbed a bat and traveled to Florida to work with his father, a college baseball coach and his closest confidante.

Jones has always been diligent with his winter workout program, but this was different - a superstar working out with the vigor of someone who had a job to earn.

"I went out really on a mission to try to prove myself as one of the best players in the league," said Jones, apparently believing that 51 homers and 221 RBIs over the last two seasons didn't show that. "That's what I want to be known as. I'm not there yet, but hopefully I'll get there."

Judging from the first month of the season, Jones is shortchanging himself. On a team where all of the focus seems to be on pitching, he finished the month of April ranked among the NL leaders in batting average, hits, homers, RBIs and runs.

He's already being mentioned as an early MVP candidate, deflecting some of the inevitable Cy Young talk that occurs when your pitching staff includes Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Denny Neagle.

"My goal every year is to win a World Series and hopefully my contributions will help get this team back to where we want to be," Jones said. "That's the only goal. Anything individual, that comes later on down the road. It's icing on the cake."

That's not just talk. Jones is a throwback to the era when players wore grease under their eyes, pulled their socks up high and left a batting glove dangling from their back pocket. After his rookie season, he quickly agreed to a four-year contract and hasn't made a peep about his salary, even though he is clearly underpaid - by today's standards - at $2.5 million a year.

"Chipper is the kind of hitter I like because he hits when it counts," said Colorado's Dante Bichette, one of the National League's premier hitters. "He drives in the tough runs. From what I see, he's always out there, always in the lineup."

Though he's only 26, Jones has been a leader on the Braves since the day he took his place in the starting lineup in 1995.

He's already been part of more success - three division titles, two National League pennants and one World Series championship - than many players experience in a lifetime.

Jones also has learned to deal with his share of gnawing disappointment, like losing to the Yankees in the 1996 World Series after winning the first two games and suffering an upset loss to the Florida Marlins in the NL championship series a year ago.

He is driven in particular by his last postseason experience. In Game 1 against the Marlins, he failed to snare a two-hopper down the line in the first inning, allowing three runs to score. While ruled a double, it was clearly a ball Jones should have knocked down.

"He's still relatively young for the experience he has," Glavine said. "I'm sure he still has a lot to learn. He can still get better as long as he maintains the attitude that he feels he can get better. I think that's the case with most great players."

Even though Jones entered this season with a career average of .292, Glavine believes the switch-hitter has given only a tantalizing glimpse of the final product.

"He's got the potential to be one of those upper-echelon, top-five-or-10 players from a certain decade or era," Glavine said. "If he continues to stay healthy and get better every year like he has, he'll definitely be the class of his era of ballplayers. No question."

Bichette believes Jones could be an MVP candidate this year.

"The sky's the limit for a kid who's a switch-hitter with power and a stroke like he has," he said.

---

This page hosted by Get your own Free Homepage