Chipper's Last Stand.

On September 30th, 2012, the Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets 6-2 at Turner Field. Normally, this would have absolutely no importance, as most games the Mets play in September are as unimportant as Kendrys Morales is to the Angels' lineup post-Trout. But a reported 50,635 (101.8% capacity) braved inclement weather on this day to see one of the greatest third basemen of all time play his final regular season game at home. And although a 1-for-2 with 2 walks isn't necessarily the greatest stat line to finish up a legendary career, Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones carries no regrets of what happened that day, or this season. He has only one goal in mind: to add another ring to his hardware.

While there are still 2 games to play, in which time the Braves (who are facing the Pirates in Pittsburgh to close out their season) will not be able to leapfrog the Nationals (facing the Phillies at home) and win the NL East division for the 12th time in the 19 seasons Chipper has manned the hot corner, they will be playing October baseball no matter what, having clinched the first Wild Card spot earlier this week. While a division title would have spared them the trouble of that pesky one play-in game against the Cardinals or Dodgers or whoever, there's still a good chance that this could be one of the rare seasons when the Braves don't simply serve as fodder for the eventual champion.

First, Kris Medlen. Yes, Kris Medlen. The Braves couldn't have asked for more from this guy. Following the same trajectory as the Nationals' Stephen Strasburg, he returned from Tommy John surgery that he had near the end of 2010, spent the first few weeks of this season in the bullpen with a lighter workload, then joined the rotation to dazzle Atlanta fans while delivering the team to a postseason appearance: in 12 games started since becoming a starter, he has a 10-1 record (his first win and only loss actually came out of the bullpen), 120 strikeouts (pretty good for a converted reliever), and an ERA of, get this, 1.57. 1.57! Even though he won't qualify for the title, he has only allowed 24 runs in 138 innings of work. Step aside, Justin Verlander.

Second, Dan Uggla. Yes, Dan Uggla. The Braves could have asked for more from this guy, and did. Even though he was the starting second baseman for the National League in this year's All-Star Game, Uggla's season went even worse than usual: a .219 average with 2 games to play, only 19 home runs (his streak of 30-plus home run seasons will end at 5, the record for second basemen), and an OPS of .731. His plate discipline has deteriorated so much that he ranks 54th out of 125 batters in OBP, which isn't terrible, but his walk rate (one of the two things that made him a threat at the plate) has declined too much to be palatable. He doesn't have to be responsible for the entirety of the offense, but if his bat has gone cold, players like Martin Prado and Michael Bourn will have to pick up some more slack.

Third, Craig Kimbrel. Yes, Craig Kimbrel. The Braves got exactly what they asked of this guy. The reigning NL Rookie of the Year, Kimbrel followed up his first campaign with an even stronger sophomore year: 42 saves, 113 strikeouts, and an ERA of 1.03, a full run lower than last year. His strikeouts per 9 innings is 16.58. That is literally insane. Kimbrel is a closer cut from the same cloth as Mariano Rivera: you know what's coming, and you still can't hit him. He's seemingly untouchable, and even when opposing teams light him up, they still look dull in comparison to him. With Jonny Venters and Eric O'Flaherty setting him up, the Braves continue to have one of the most terrifying bullpens in the game, and with starters like Medlen, Tommy Hanson, Mike Minor and veteran Tim Hudson shutting lineups down the first couple of times through, Kimbrel is still the most potent pitching weapon.

Fourth, Freddie Freeman, Jason Heyward, and Brian McCann. Yes, Freddie Freeman, Jason Heyward, and Brian McCann. The Braves...well, these are the future faces of the Braves. Freeman, Heyward and McCann haven't had the season many hoped (or expected) they would, with only 70 home runs and 242 RBIs between the three (23 homers and 81 RBIs on average), and McCann missing a significant chunk of time this year, all contributing to a weaker offense than they could have had. Still, these guys continue to grow as players and people, with only McCann being older than 25. As the years go on, the Braves will rely even more on these three to carry the offense in Jones' absence, and all signs to them being able to shoulder the burden together. As far as this postseason? We'll see soon.

Finally, Chipper Jones. Yes, Chipper Jones. He IS the Braves, at least for now. The 40 year old legend is singing a swan song that's being heard from Queens to Philadelphia to Denver to Los Angeles. With a .285/14/62 line this season, Jones looks to wrap up his Hall of Fame career the way it started: with a champagne bath in October after winning just his second career World Series (he has played in 3 to date). The former MVP isn't just enjoying the final ride, he's absolutely loving it. His veteran presence has been invaluable to a team that boasts 5 regulars in the lineup, 2 starters and 3 bullpen guys all with less than 5 years MLB experience, and the abnormally strong energy this middle-aged man brings to the club is nothing to discount. Chipper has received many symbolic gifts from opposing teams this season, but the most meaningful one for him would be that little ring to match the one he so cherishes.

It would be easy to go ahead and say that the Braves won't make much of a splash in this year's playoffs, as they have been able to do little damage since the Octobers of the 1990s. But with Jones leading this hungry team, Atlanta may finally have its second professional sports championship.