Chipper Jones Pays Emotional Tribute to Late Braves Manager Bobby Cox

The death of Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox at age 84 drew tributes across baseball, with longtime star Chipper Jones offering one of the most heartfelt.

Jones, who played nearly his entire MLB career under Cox, posted on X after learning of the Hall of Fame manager's passing this weekend. "I can’t stay quiet in this time of loss," Jones wrote. "I’m struggling to tell all what Bobby Cox meant to me and so many others in Braves Country."

Jones described Cox as "the leader of men and a second father to so many Atlanta Braves [through the years]." Cox had selected Jones with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1990 MLB Draft and managed him from his 1993 debut through the end of Cox's career in 2010. Under Cox, the Braves won 14 consecutive division titles, five National League pennants and the 1995 World Series.

Jones credited Cox with shaping his career. "He’s probably the number one reason I played my entire career for the Braves," Jones said. "He gave me the opportunity to play baseball by drafting me."

On the day Cox died, Jones watched his sons play baseball and heard the manager's voice in his head. "I can’t help but shout the same things he did from the corner of the dugout," Jones wrote. "‘Come on kid, [you] got this!’"

Jones added a light note: "My boys won both of their games. Bobby had a hand, I have no doubt!"

Other Braves legends joined in. Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Glavine recalled Cox's passion. "The minute he came down in that dugout, in full uniform with his spikes on and ready to go, there was just a passion to win the game and fight for every inch of advantage he could get for his players," Glavine said.

John Smoltz said Cox transformed his career. "He gave you confidence when you didn't have it yourself," Smoltz said. "I'm not a Hall of Famer without him."

Andruw Jones called Cox a father figure. "Bobby meant everything to me in my baseball career," he said. "I’ve said this before, he was like my second dad."