Where are all the milestones this year?

Last year was considered by many to be the “year of the milestone” in baseball.

Numbers like 132, 350, 500, 600, 756 and 3000 were tossed around like free candy last year as numerous players reached new heights in statistical counting, but this year looks a bit sparse.

Some big milestones that will no doubt come around sooner rather than later this season are Ken Griffey Jr.’s 600th career home run, Manny Ramirez’s 500th home run and Frank Thomas’ 2500th career base hit.

These are great achievements that should be praised, and as far as we know, the three players above have performed without performance enhancing drugs.

But that’s about it for milestones this year. Despite this lack of always inspiring baseball moments, there is one thing that everyone should keep their eye on.

We’re two months into the season thus far and Atlanta third-baseman Chipper Jones has defied all odds. About this time of year, most players have regressed to lower performance levels than usual, but Jones has not.

His batting average entering yesterday’s game against the Mets was .410, while his on-base plus slugging percentage was over 1.169. Jones has also been part of a lineup of bashers that include Mark Teixeira, Jeff Franceour and Brian McCann, which has destroyed opposing pitching this year.

Basically, things are ripe for a Most Valuable Player season with McCann’s own performance going beyond expectations and hot bats hanging around him to allow for more big opportunities at the plate.

So, is this the year that someone finally hits for a .400 batting average after Ted Williams last did it in 1947?

The last time a player nearly scared Williams out of his cryogenic freeze was when Joe Mauer of the Twins carried a .390 batting average in to July back in 2006, but Mauer was never over .400 during the season, though he began regressing after the All-Star break.

Something tells me Chipper could take this .410 longer than Mauer.

Thanks to one of the best baseball analysis sites out there, FanGraphs, you can see that Chipper’s slugging percentage and on-base percentage has increased steadily since 2004, while his strikeout percentage has gone down steadily since then.

By reading these graphs, it is easy to conclude that Jones is putting more balls in play while hitting for more and more power each year. This means it is entirely possible for him to sustain a really high batting average for a very long time, but the question will be whether he can hit .400 through September.

Honestly, it’s about time for someone to hit .400 throughout the whole season. It’s about time for something new.

Chipper Jones can do it, but hitting .400 is no easy feat. That’s why this is such an interesting case, and for those people who are fed up with how the Mariners have done this year, take a look at Chipper and tell me if you see what I’m seeing: a man possessed.