Chipper Jones' Career in Dollars

Chipper Jones retiring gives us at Brainfart Thoughts a chance to look back at one of the most important parts of his career - how much money he made.  Everyone wants to know how much you get for dipping and banging Hooter's waitresses for 19 years.  Given the amount of cash the top players are getting for contracts, it isn't as much as you think.

According to my limited lazy internet research, Chipper earned about $168.5 million over the course of his career.  The first 5 years I assumed he was under a rookie contract at $500,000 a year then he had a deal for 3 years for $12.33 million per followed by a 6 year deal at $15 million per and ending with a 3 year deal for $14 million a year.  Although that is a lot for the working man, it isn't great for a guy who has lived up to the hype year in and year out since he got drafted with the first overall pick.  Chipper has the most career RBI's for a third baseman.  He is also behind only Eddie Murray on the all-time switch hitters career RBI list.  He is considered one of the game's best all-around hitters, and one of the best switch hitters in the history of the game.  He is the only switch hitter in Major League Baseball history to have a .300+ career batting average (.303 at the end of the this season) and 400 or more home runs (468 in his career).  With stats like those, plus being loyal to one team his whole career, he should be in the upper stratosphere for career earnings.  Well, technically he is 6th on the all-time career earnings list as of right now, but in 10 years he might not even crack the elite group.

He also got a $400,000 signing bonus when he was drafted.  That is totally insane.  To compare that to today's signing bonuses, Bryce Harper got $6.25 million just to sign his contract.  Harper also makes $9.9 million over his first 5 years.  This year the LOWEST signing bonus in the first round for anyone was $1.2 million so Chipper was already way behind.

This year around 33 offensive players got paid near or above Chipper Jones in the last year of his big contract - keep in mind he never signed a crappy I-can't-play-anymore-but-I'm-too-stubborn-to-retire contract.  Included on that list is Michael Young, Jason Bay, Torii Hunter, Vernon Wells, and his infield mate Dan Uggla.  That's right, Dan Uggla, who hit .220 this season, made only $850,000 less than Jones.

For some more context there are CURRENTLY 7 players with current contracts that will earn more than Chipper made throughout his career (A-Rod, Pujols, Prince, Votto, Jeter, Teixeira, and Maeur).  All of those contracts are for 10 years which is over half Chipper's entire career.  A-Rod and Pujols will make double what Chipper made.  DOUBLE!

This study started out as a curiosity of how much Chipper Jones made but I was shocked as to how little he made given his production.  I have concluded that Ted Turner, representing the city of Atlanta, should give Chipper $50 million or his own Hooters, whichever Chipper prefers.  Ted Turner, by giving Chipper that option I just saved you $49 million.  Please send that check payable to Brainfart-Thoughts.

"Check out Chipper's mom or wife or daughter.  All three are believable!"