Chipper Jones's NL Central comments

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mikechamp
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Chipper Jones's NL Central comments

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These comments came from a chat with Hall of Famer Chipper Jones that occurred on January 7. If you don't know who he is, you better ask somebody. If you'd like, you can follow him on Twitter at @RealCJ10.

There were a couple NL Central-relevant questions. As I've said repeatedly, the insight into other issues is what I'm finding cool about these player chats. Read the bonus Q&As!

The link to the entire chat can be found here: https://www.jotcast.com/chat/live-chat- ... 12173.html

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What was the best advice you received as a minor leaguer that helped you take it to the next level?

Chipper Jones
Willie Stargell always told me that if you have slow feet, you will have quick hands. If you have quick feet, you will have slow hands. That always resonated with me offensively.
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What was the visiting ballpark that gave you the most trouble, hitting-wise?

Chipper Jones
I struggled at Wrigley and Dodger Stadium. Had trouble seeing the ball there and the wind at Wrigley seemed to always blow in. Dodger stadium was tough for me at night, good during the day. Some good pitchers might have had a little something to do with that, too!
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I know this will be a pretty generic question, but I always find it interesting hearing directly from the guys that played the game. Who was the pitcher you least liked to face and why?

Chipper Jones
Whew, that list is lonnngggg. One of the more uncomfortable at bats was Kevin Brown. I had decent numbers but it was not comfortable being in the box. Numbers wise, Hideo Nomo, Woody Williams and Danny Jackson had my number. Yep, Danny Jackson! Look him up...nasty.
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OMG - thank you so much for doing this. As a switch hitter - how difficult was it to keep both swings going, especially when you would not be batting right handed near as much as left handed?

Chipper Jones
Very difficult to keep both swings on par. You will always go through periods where you feel great on one side and not the other. It is a constant grind because you rarely feel great from both sides and we simply worked to have to try to keep things somewhat even because huge ups and downs from one side really hurt me. That said, I simply cannot tell you what it meant to see those breaking balls coming into as opposed to away from you. It made the double work all that much worth it.
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What's the best advice Hank Aaron ever gave you?

Chipper Jones
Hank always told me to swing the heaviest bat I could get through the zone. He was always big on getting the bat to the point where it needed to be at the right time. Not a huge bat speed guy. Wanted me to get the biggest piece of lumber at the right place at the right time. I followed that advice throughout my career.
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If you were to give someone who wants to be a MLB player any piece of advice, what would you give them?

Chipper Jones
Keep your head down and work. Don't read rankings, press clippings or things people say about you...good or bad. Those comments...those rankings...those opinions do not matter to you. You and your teammates and your support system determine how your career will go. Try to turn 4 plays and 4 at bats every night into something you can build upon. It is a lot harder than you think or can even imagine.
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Much of your career was during a transitional period in baseball history because of analytics and data science. If your rookie year was in 2021 instead of 1995, how do you think your career would play out with the new tools available to players? (of course, starting on a World Series championship team!)

Chipper Jones
We had the tools we had and we used them to the fullest. I am not sure it would change my career. More information is available to both hitters and pitchers now. The playing field and information game is still even...there is just more of it. Players have always gotten to pick and choose what information works for them. At the end of the day, execution is key. Not one piece of paper is going to help me hit a 98 mph sinking FB with the game on the line. However, the preparation and the importance of these analytical tools is crucial for today's player to be mentally prepared to do exactly that. Again, we used what we had to do that back in the day and today's player does the same. At the end of that preparation and great work the front office does to prepare their players, you have to execute. You have to use all of that information to get the result you want. Both pitcher and hitter. That is the great battle that has existed and will always exist in the game of baseball.
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