Adam Jones ushered in an era of baseball that saw low lights, high lights and success Birdland has starved for, for some time.
Jones was acquired by the Orioles in a trade with the Seattle Mariners in February of 2008. The O’s would send left-hander Erik Bedard to Seattle for Jones, right-handers Chris Tillman and Kameron Mickilio and left-handers George Sherrill and Tony Butler.
While Sherrill would pick up 31 saves in his first year, it was Tillman and Jones who would be the gems of the trade. Looking back, it was Jones who became the diamond in the whole deal.
Jones would play a total of 73 games for the Mariners before becoming an Oriole and cementing the center field position for 11 seasons in Baltimore.
Offensively, he had seven seasons with 25 or more home runs. A middle of the lineup bat, Jones would slash .279/.319/.459 with 263 home runs and 945 RBIs.
Defensively, Jones became one of the top center fielders in the game, collecting a Gold Glove in 2009 and three more from 2012-2014. Jones was also named an AL All-Star in 2009 and from the 2012-2015 seasons as well.
Jones quickly became a fan favorite with his electric personality and flare for playing the game. He would amass a 32.5 WAR, 17th all-time for the Orioles, while notching 595 extra base hits.
To add to his impressive feats, Jones would make an incredible game-saving catch during the World Baseball Classic, robbing then teammate Manny Machado of a game-changing home run.
Jones was the undisputed leader of an Orioles team that would make three postseason appearances while collecting the most wins in the AL over a five-year stretch. His fun and spirited attitude that saw him take pies and smash players’ faces in them during post-game interviews made for a tradition after O’s wins, reaching it’s peak during the Orioles’ 2014 AL East Title.
Jones would become a free agent after the 2018 season that saw the Orioles turn to a full-scale rebuild. It signaled the end of an era that was one of the most successful stretches of Orioles baseball.
While Jones would play one more season with the Arizona Diamondbacks and two seasons in Japan, the Orioles faithful waited for their captain to return to The Nest that he invigorated for over a decade.
It was announced on August 25, 2023, that the Orioles would have Adam Jones retire an Oriole on September 15, 2023, against the Tampa Bay Rays. It’s fitting the announcement was made with a cream pie ordered and set down next to a Jonesy bobblehead.
Welcome home, Adam Jones! Birdland is only complete with you a part of it forever.
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