A Hall of Famer to be

           Atlanta Braves 19 year veteran Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones announced he is retiring at the end of the 2012 Major League Baseball season.
 
           Jones is one of the best, if not the best, switch hitters of all time and he was my idol growing up when I began to play baseball.

           He was the first pick in the 1990 Amateur draft. He is also a seven time All Star, 1999 MLB MVP and a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner.

           He began playing shortstop for the Atlanta Braves wearing the number 10 jersey, which is exactly how I started. He then switched to third base and has played left field for a little bit during his career.

           Jones is coming off of knee injuries over the last couple of years and wants to remain with the team after his retirement in an undisclosed position.

           His career statistics are remarkable. Through six games this season Jones is tied for the team lead with two home runs and seven runs batted in.

           If you include those statistics in his career he has 2,621 hits, 456 home runs, 1,568 runs batted in and 1,556 runs with a batting average of .304.

           These numbers are more than enough to get him into the hall of fame in my opinion. He won the 1996 World Series with the Atlanta Braves and was a key part in their 14 consecutive National League East division title streak from 1991-2005.

           Jones needs to be elected into the MLB Hall of Fame during the first couple years of his eligibility of not his first year which will be 2017.

           Several of his former teammates are going into their first years of eligibility including: Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, both in 2013, and John Smoltz in 2014.

           Chipper Jones has had an amazing career and I'll be rooting for him to join the Hall of Fame and be an All-Star in his final season.