“Tomorrow might be my last day,” he said “I don’t know. I don’t really focus on it that much. The body is starting to tell me every morning when I wake up that it’s getting close. I’m signed through the end of this year. If I play in a certain amount of games, I got an option for next year. I don’t know what next year entails.
“I don’t know if I can make it through this year.”
My guess is once the season starts, his competitive juices will keep him going. You never know, however. At some point, Chipper might just decide the pain is not worth it.
If he does retire before the season starts, he’ll be a career .300/.400/.500 hitter. I’d love to see him retire like that ’cause he’s always been one of my favorite players. He’s awfully close to dropping below that though, so if he hangs on through the year, he might fall below it.
I am reminded of Bill James’ comment that baseball is not about playing through pain, that it’s supposed to be played in a sort of controlled joy. If Chipper is having more pain than fun, he seriously ought to think about hanging it up before he cripples himself.