But there was that strained right quad and the back spasms and the strained right groin and strained left hamstring and finally, acute tendinitis in his right shoulder.

The shoulder is what finally did him in last season. It hurt so much that he could barely raise his arm to his head. It hurt so much that he wasn't able to extend his arms to generate power, which meant he couldn't hit as many home runs.

Instead, his shortened stroke produced singles and doubles, which raised his basting average.

"I hate to snipe at a line-drive swing, but the fact of the matter is, they don't pay me to hit singles," Jones said early last season. "I'm a guy who's supposed to slug the ball into the gaps and out of the park."

But given the injuries, Jones was glad to be able to contribute at all, even though it was clear the Braves were not going to be in the postseason mix.

Jones warns not to expect a nearly-.400 batting average this season; he's looking for a good average coupled with a good on-base percentage.

PHILLIES 12, BRAVES 11: Brian McCann, Jeff Francoeur and Jordan Schafer hit two-run home runs and had the Braves cruising, and Javier Vazquez left after six innings with a 10-3 lead. But no one in the bullpen had any kind of control, allowing the Phillies to score eight runs in the bottom of the seventh on four hits, four bases-loaded walks and a hit batter.