Age Catching Up with Chipper?

I was surprised to notice that Chipper Jones' batting average was just .269 for the season. It seems like just yesterday that his batting average was well over .300. It turns out that wasn't yesterday. That was back in June.

Since the All-Star break Chipper has hit just .242 with a .763 OPS. In September those numbers are just .207 and .634. That's almost Varitek-esque. Chipper signed a 3-year extension for $13 million per year early this spring. You have to wonder if Chipper will start to face some boos if he starts off next year like he's been finishing this season.

I think Chipper is a Hall of Fame player but if he puts his current .308 career batting average at risk with 3-years of sub-par performance then he could also be putting his Hall of Fame election at risk as well. Jim Rice allowing his career batting average to dip below .300 (he finished at .298) was a major factor in the delay in his election.