FILE – In this Aug. 16, 2012, file photo, Atlanta Braves’ Chipper Jones celebrates with teammates after scoring a home run on his 2700th career hit in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, in Atlanta. All signs point to Jones being selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame when the next group of inductees is announced Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt, File)ATLANTA – When Chipper Jones took stock of all of the familiar names he’s on the cusp of rejoining, he wondered if it might be time to expand the Baseball Hall of Fame.
“We need to see if we can erect our own room in Cooperstown,” Jones quipped, flashing that dry sense of humor he was known for during his playing days.
All signs point to Jones becoming the latest member of those great Atlanta Braves teams of the 1990s and early 2000s to enter the Hall when the inductees are revealed on Wednesday.
The Braves’ Big Three – pitchers Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz – already have taken their place in Cooperstown, along with Atlanta’s longtime manager, Bobby Cox , and the architect of 14 straight division titles, general manager John Schuerholz.
A third baseman who played his entire 19-year career in Atlanta, Jones appears certain of election based on a tracking of ballots that show his support running at more than 98 percent, well above the 75 percent threshold.