Chipper readying for 2012, and maybe beyond

Atlanta Braves mainstay Chipper Jones is preparing for his 19th season in the major, and he hinted Tuesday that it may not be his last.

“As long as I stay healthy and I’m having fun, I’m going to keep going,” he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I sit here with three weeks to go before spring training and I’m not ready to say this is it.”

Jones, 40, is entering his final year of his contract, with a club option in 2013. He still feels that he can contribute at the plate, especially after an offensive resurgence last season which saw him stroke 33 doubles with an .814 on-base percentage.

“I still feel that I can go out and play a solid third base, which I did last year,” Jones told the paper. “And I still feel like I can be productive in the middle of the lineup. If it’s the 3-hole or the 5-hole or the 6-hole — it doesn’t bother me where I hit.”