J.J. Cooper's first assignment covering baseball was a lucky one–he was assigned to cover the 1995 Macon Braves, which meant he watched Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year Andruw Jones play day after day. Often Jones was roaming center field for Macon while facing off against future Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero playing for Albany. While that may have ruined him for years as far as expectations for minor league outfielders, it ensured he was hooked on covering baseball. Cooper came to Baseball America in 2002. He's covered baseball at every level since then, although he still has a soft spot for the overlooked player, be they in a smaller college, international baseball or indy ball.