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Do you see Chipper Jones staying healthy and having a season like last year, when he competed for the batting title?
-- David P., Lebanon, Tenn.

There were plenty of reasons for Chipper to be encouraged about what happened last year. Along with producing one of the top two seasons of his illustrious career, he was able to endure the daily rigors of a 162-game season without experiencing any significant discomfort in his troublesome feet.

It's a shame that Jones is going to have to live with the tag of being a health risk as he winds down his career. From 1996-2003, Rafael Palmeiro and Jeff Bagwell were the only Major Leaguers to appear in more games. But what everyone now remembers is the fact that the Braves third baseman hasn't played in at least 140 games in any of the past four seasons and that he missed nearly six weeks during both the 2005 and 2006 seasons.

Last year, Jones was determined to play in at least 150 games and he certainly might have if he hadn't been involved in the freaky May 11 collision with Pirates third baseman Jose Bautista. That cost Jones nearly a full month of action and some of the power numbers that could have improved his standing in the National League MVP balloting. He finished sixth, which was his best finish since winning the award in 1999.

When Jones said things would be different entering last season, the primary reason to doubt him was the fact that the bunions in his feet were progressively becoming more of an issue and it didn't seem like he was going to find a solution. Because of the potential consequences, surgery was never an option.

Now that Jones has found footwear that at least seems to lessen the strain on his feet, there's certainly reason to at least be a little more optimistic about him being able to remain a regular in the lineup over the course of an entire season.

At 36 years old, Jones is bound to encounter some aches and strains. His oblique has been a problem the past two seasons and may provide further discomfort this year. He understands the importance of removing himself from the lineup if he feels testing a specific ache could cause an extended absence.

Jones is going to be excited about this upcoming season. Hitting in front of Mark Teixeira, he's going to see good pitches on a regular basis. I'm not expecting him to compete for a batting title again, but another MVP-caliber season wouldn't be too surprising as long as he stays healthy.

Dating back to the 2006 All-Star break, Jones ranks among the top five in the Majors in batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. He's playing as well as he ever has during his career, and with Father Time at least visible in his rear view mirror, he wants to be on the field as much as possible over the next few years.
I sure hope Chipper can last the whole season. They need him in the lineup everyday now that Andruw is gone.