Chipper Jones

On this date in 1990, the Braves select Florida high school shortstop Chipper Jones with the first pick of the free-agent draft.

"(Bobby) Cox, then the General Manager, liked Jones as a ballplayer. He wondered, though, if Jones had the requisite toughness to succeed. One day, supposedly a week before the draft, Cox got a report from a scout. An opposing player had begun yakking at Jones' pitcher. Being the sophisticated player Jones was (and remains), he responded by punching the player in the face. This delighted Cox and led the Braves to select Jones with the first-overall pick in the draft. Jones even signed his first professional contract with a broken hand endured from the punch." - R.J. Anderson, Baseball Prospectus