Atlanta Braves fans were graced with the opportunity to watch a Hall of Fame third baseman for two decades. Chipper Jones is well renowned for being one of the best switch hitters in the game and Atlanta was lucky to have him.
Recently, the Mets killer reacted to a post from a fan on social media that showed an early scouting report. The report was from a former scout for the Chicago White Sox in 1990, just a few months after the Braves selected Chipper as their #1 overall pick.
The report was done by White Sox scout Alex Cosmidis, who mentioned Jones had soft hands paired with average arm strength and speed as strengths. However, Cosmidis graded the future Hall of Famer a 50/C overall with noted weaknesses of a nonchalant attitude, not being aggressive enough with the bat, and a "slap type swing." His overall impression concluded Chipper was a disappointment but projected "improvement in all phases with maturity and experience."
This report was drafted at the end of Chipper's first professional season with the GCL Braves, where he batted .229 with one HR and 18 RBI. So, it wasn't a great start for Chipper, but things changed drastically the next season as he hit .326 with 15 HR, 98 RBI, and 40 SB with the Macon Braves.
Braves legend Chipper Jones reacts to early scouting report as a "disappointment" for former MLB scout
Cosmidis ended up being horribly wrong about Chipper and that can happen in scouting. Everyone is going to see things differently and you never know how driven a player is. Chipper stated as much in his response to seeing the report shared.
He stated he had no ill will toward the scout and echoed the sentiment that you are "never gonna please everyone." Chipper continued, "Not gonna lie…the ‘2 avg tools’ kinda leans toward lack of homework, but this scout caught me in instructional league at the end of my first pro season, fresh off a broken hand at 18 yrs old. Don’t give them the excuse of not knowing the backstory….ball out from the get go!"
Cosmidis was just reacting to what he saw at the time which was a young player who had a lot to learn. Chipper was trying to play his first season of pro ball recovering from a broken hand and a lot of pressure as the top draft pick.
Luckily for Braves fans and the legendary third baseman, he turned things around and had one heck of a career. Chipper retired after 19 wonderful seasons as an eight-time All-Star with 2, 726 hits, 468 HR, 1,623 RBI, and a .300 average from both sides of the plate.
It goes to show that no matter how talented a player is, there is always someone who may doubt their ability to succeed at the big league level. Chipper had the grit and determination necessary to make it happen. Now, when someone thinks of the Atlanta Braves, it's synonymous with Chipper Jones.