Chipper Jones announced that 2012 will be his last season. That’s nice, as people around the game will be able to celebrate his career. Chipper, however, strikes me as one of those intensely competitive people that might change his mind if he has a good season.

That said, some of his statements this spring indicate he knows his body is giving him problems. I thought that there was a chance he retired during the season. I doubt that will happen now. He’ll receive honors as he makes his last visit to each ballpark, so there will be a good reason to stick around. Maybe the Mets will embed a stone with his name on it near the old spot of home plate at Shea. 🙂

With a career bWAR of 84.9, Jones is an easy Hall of Famer, especially since he appeared to be a clean player during the steroid era. I would not be surprised to see him elected on the first ballot.