Reasons why Chipper Jones should not retire after 2012 regular season - Part 1
Leading the Atlanta Braves in almost every category of the offence, Chipper Jones closes in on his last season of the career. In the Majors for 19 seasons, his legacy is priceless and worth taking inspiration from for the next generation of hitters in the
Braves.
Even at the age of 40, the hitters who are arguably passing through prime moments of their career in the team’s line-up are no way near to the numbers that Jones carries in the season.
He seems to be nullifying the traditional relationship of decline in performance with age. Far from this, he is growing even better. The rate with which he is making it happen this year is higher than his last two seasons, which mean the saturation stage
which many believe he has reached has yet to hit the point from where decline will start.
Therefore, the question about whether Jones should really retire as he has announced now or his current performance should offer him a reason to start thinking otherwise.
Other than the issue of his injury prone body, Jones has everything which can make him play for one more season comfortably. Defensively he is okay, offensively he is excellent and above all the inspiration that he instills in the whole team takes his perceived
value to the club beyond the imaginable level.
The Braves’ management cannot give a blind eye to the fact that their roster hosts youth. Thus, the naivety that they entertain can all of a sudden snatch their pride of being a force to reckon with in the National League East Division. It can shape them
into a mediocre Minor League type of team.
In order to nurture the young talent into an asset worth relying on for the years to come, someone who can guide the players through the initial phase and tell them how to build an enviable career is needed.
For Jones, the desire to spend more time with family is not allowing him to play anymore than beyond the current season. However, he should understand that the decision that he has taken is not entirely his personal, instead it has far-reaching ramifications
for the team.
Therefore, the clubs’ requirements must be given equal weight as he decides about his time in the Major League.
The team officials will do a great service to the club if they can walk up to him and explain Jones the future plans. By putting forth the names of the players that they want to see lifting the team in the forthcoming years before Jones, they can convince
him for spending one more year. Who knows, once Jones realises that the future of some of the players depends on him, he gets excited by the idea and commits himself for another season as a result.
For as long as he can watch the ball and hit it wherever he aims, he should stay.
What often leads players to think about retirement is a potential decline in performance, not the kind of injuries they are vulnerable to. Players generally make the most of what they have and never put their career on the line in the face of the occurrence
of a few injuries. Even some of the players resort to limited appearances in the matches but they never retire until they feel the complete depletion of their talent.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Continued in Part 2
Tags: