Chipper Jones will retire from baseball at the end of the 2012 season, the Braves announced Thursday morning. The 39-year-old third baseman has spent his entire career with the Atlanta Braves, making his debut as a 21 year old back in 1993 and then finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting in 1995.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 1990 draft, Jones currently leads all players with service time for one franchise (19 years, after this season). Derek Jeter (17, Yankees), Mariano Rivera (17, Yankees) and Todd Helton (15, Rockies) are the next three.

Jones has battled some injury issues the past few years but has still been productive at the plate. He hit .275/.344/.470 last season, good enough for a 123 OPS-plus, while adding 18 homers, 70 RBI and 56 runs in 126 games.

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His career numbers will be enough to get him into the Hall of Fame, likely in his first attempt. He has a career .304 batting average with 454 homers and over 1,500 runs and RBI. His .402 career on-base percentage is outstanding and he's one of two active players (along with Albert Pujols) to have over 400 homers and more walks than strikeouts. His .364 batting average in 2008 was the second-highest mark ever for a switch hitter, one point behind Mickey Mantle's 1957 average.

Jones won the 1999 MVP and finished in the top 10 of MVP voting five other times. He's a seven time All-Star.

According to Baseball-Reference.com, Jones ranks 35th in career Wins Above Replacement player for position players. The only players above him on that list that were primarily third baseman are Mike Schmidt, Eddie Mathews, Wade Boggs and George Brett. A good season could get Jones past Brett, too.

And then there's the little matter of playing for all those winners. Jones was one of the cornerstones of the Braves franchise that won its division 14 consecutive times -- it was 11 straight when he was a regular. He has a World Series ring and was part of three pennant winners. Jones' postseason line is impressive as well, as he has hit .288/.411/.459 (.871 OPS) with 13 homers, 47 RBI and 58 runs in 92 career postseason games.

All in all, you have an incredible baseball resume from a consummate professional. Hopefully he gets an injury-free farewell tour this season.