"After the Braves' season ended with a five-game skid and no postseason berth, Chipper Jones reiterated his intention of returning for the 2012 season.

Jones said the team's September collapse would have no bearing on his decision.

"I've committed to playing next year," he said. "I won't commit past that; let's put it that way. [But] I'm looking forward to it. As tough a pill as it is to swallow, for a lot of these young guys it's a learning experience.

"We got our butts kicked for the last couple of weeks of the season, and they're going to learn a lot from it and be better ballplayers for it.""