Anyone who has been a fan of the Baltimore Orioles this millennia knows Adam Jones and what he’s meant to the organization.
Jones, originally selected as the 37th pick of the 2003 draft, was chosen by the Seattle Mariners as a shortstop and pitcher. As a pitcher, he had a fastball that exceeded 90 mph.
While in the Mariners system, they asked him to switch positions to center field due to the fact that Yuniesky Betancourt was entrenched at shortstop in the big leagues.
The move changed the entire projection of Jones’ career, and the Orioles saw something in the young player that they liked.
After limited playing time with the Mariners, Seattle saw an opportunity to get a productive lefty to head their rotation in 2008. Seattle made Jones the centerpiece in a trade that sent him and three other players (George Sherrill, Kam Mickolio and Chris Tillman) to the Orioles for left-hander Érik Bédard.
Jones would embark on a memorable and remarkable career as the Orioles’ everyday center fielder and leader of the team. He would always give you 110%, even when he was ailing, and was always a team-first player.
He represented the Orioles in five All-Star Games, won four Gold Glove Awards and a Silver Slugger during 11 seasons with the Birds. He would lead the majors in putouts and assists three times and double plays twice.
He would finish in the top 10 in various statistical categories with the Orioles, including hits, extra-base hits, doubles, RBIs, home runs, stolen bases and runs scored.
Defensively, Jones ranks second in O’s history in games played, putouts, assists and Gold Gloves won in the outfield, behind Paul Blair. He did set the Orioles’ record for most games played in center field with 1,555.
“There are so many really good players who have stood in this position in this center field,” Jones said of his time at Camden Yards. “I just relished the opportunity that I had. This is my job. This is my office, and there’s a big warehouse to my left, and all those people in that warehouse, that’s their office building. But my office was right there in center field. It was just a beautiful place to call home for a lot of years. One of the best things about it is about the third or fourth inning, you get that Boog’s BBQ breeze that comes over to center field.”
Jones would play one season with the Arizona Diamondbacks and two seasons with the Orix Buffalos of Nippon Professional Baseball. He would sign a one-day contract with the Orioles on September 15, 2023, to retire as a member of the organization.
Jones would become a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Black Initiative after his playing career ended. He would join Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Larkin, Dave Winfield, Doug Glanville and Dave Stewart to help the Hall of Fame honor history and celebrate the impact of Black baseball.
Recently, Jones returned to the Orioles organization as a special advisor to GM Mike Elias, as well as a community ambassador. The O’s will utilize Jones’ familiarity and relationship with Japanese baseball to help recruit future international players.
He’s worked with the Commissioner Baseball Program, was a representative for Team USA twice and has worked with MLB’s baseball operations department.
Jones has left his mark on the game of baseball and will forever be remembered as one of the greatest Orioles of all time. Though he didn’t have a Hall of Fame career, he knows his place in history and is proud of it.
“All I want is one person to vote for me,” Jones said with a laugh. “If there’s some writer out there that thinks I had a good enough career. If I get one vote, I’d be extremely happy. But I know where my place is. That’s a different echelon of player.”
Jones might not be immortalized in Cooperstown, but being a legend and ambassador in Baltimore means so much to Charm City fans. We celebrate him and his contributions to Birdland this Black History Month.
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