Player Profiles: Adam Jones
Jones taking a big swing.
Another Baltimore Orioles outfielder and other player involved in the Eric Bedard trade with the Seattle Mariners meet Adam Jones. Jones is one of the true five-tool players in the Major Leagues.
Since coming to the Orioles Jones has pretty much played everyday in center field. Jones is a fan favorite and interacts with fans on twitter and is involved in the community. Jones will be an Oriole for a very long time, in 2012 Jones signed a six-year $85.5 million contract extension with the Orioles.
Jones career started when he was a first round draft pick by the Seattle Mariners. When he was just 20 years old he got to get a taste of the Majors. Jones was originally a short stop but moved to the outfield because the Mariners had plenty of short stops. Jones made his Major League debut in 2006 but when he came to the Orioles in the winter of 2008 he became the Orioles everyday center fielder.
Jones is a highly decorated player, he has been to the All-Star game three times and has three Gold Gloves. Jones also has a Silver Slugger award.
One weakness for Jones is his lack of patience at the plate, he swings at a lot of balls. Jones is super talented and sometimes his talent makes him swing away. Jones only has 176 walks prior to the 2014 season and only had 25 walks in 2013. It is very rare to see a player homer more times in a season than he walked and Jones did that in 2013 when he hit 33 homers. Strike zone discipline is something I would like to see Jones get better at. Jones only has a .322 career on base percentage prior to 2014.
Jones has improved his power numbers in every season and in 2012 and 2013 he surpassed 30 home runs. Jones has a career 140 homers and a slugging percentage of .460 prior to the 2014 season.
In center field Jones is excellent and has earned his three Gold Gloves. Jones has great range and is tall enough to reach over the fence and take away some home runs.
Jones is one of the faces of the Orioles and is always open to the media. Jones coined the phrase “stay hungry” which he uses to help motivate the team and himself. If there is a vocal leader that truly stands out on the Orioles it is Jones.
If Jones could be more disciplined there is no doubt that he could be a MVP candidate. Jones has all the physical talents and leadership skills that make him a true franchise player.
Enjoy this video on Jones.
Here are Jones’ career batting stats.
