Ed Condron

Lake Buena Vista, FL

Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones announced he will retire after the 2012 season.

The soon to be 40-year-old won the National League MVP Award in 1999 and is a seven-time All-Star.

The top pick in the 1990 draft, Jones has 2,615 career hits, 454 home runs and a .304 career batting average. , He hit .275 with 18 homers and 70 RBIs in 126 games in 2011.

"I'm very proud that for 23 years I've donned one uniform -- the red, white and blue of the Atlanta Braves," Jones said. "I often admired when I was coming up, guys like Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn who were able to work with their organization so that they could stay in one place.

"They knew how important it was to stay in one place and be the face of the franchise. While I don't consider myself to be in their realm, I'm awfully proud to say I've been a part of this organization for so long."

Jones is entering the final guaranteed season in his contract and his retirement had been considered a possibility for a while. Thursday's announcement eliminates the $9 million option for the 2013 season that would have vested if Jones played in at least 123 games this year.

"I want to get all of the speculation out of the way right here in Spring Training, so that wherever me and my teammates go this season we're not answering questions about when I'm going to hang it up," Jones said. "We're going to make it final here and now that this is it."

 

 

 

Braves Third Baseman Chipper Jones to Retire After Season