Happy Birthday to the Greatest Third Baseman of All-Time

Happy birthday to both the greatest switch hitter and third baseman to ever play the game of baseball, Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones Jr.

Smitty asked me not too long ago to name an Atlanta sports Mt. Rushmore and Chipper was the first name off the top of my head without a doubt — in addition to Hank Aaron, Dominique Wilkins and Matt Ryan. You can break down his career numbers however you want — and there's plenty to marvel at — but I think the stat which best encapsulates his career is this one:

I don't know why, given that fact, his contact against lefties is dogshit on MLB The Show, but that's a separate conversation. All the man did was rake.

I don't know that there will ever be an athlete that comes close to my love for Chipper, because being born in Atlanta in 1997, I'm just not sure how there could be. My entire childhood, he was the man. One of the things I was looking forward to most about this baseball season was Chipper joining the ESPN booth for Wednesday Night Baseball. He will crush that opportunity whenever the chance finally comes about.

Happy birthday to the GOAT.