Baltimore Orioles: Center fielder Adam Jones by the numbers

BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 21: Adam Jones #10 of the Baltimore Orioles rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the fifth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 21, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 21: Adam Jones #10 of the Baltimore Orioles rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the fifth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 21, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

In the first game of the series against the Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles veteran Adam Jones hit is 25th home run of the season.

Interestingly, that home run was also the Baltimore Orioles center fielder’s 250th home run of his career.

Home run numbers are not the only statistics that the longtime center fielder has been building up over his 12 seasons in the MLB.

He started young

Adam Jones joined the MLB when he was drafted in the first round in 2003 right out of high school. He worked his way through the Seattle Mariners organization until his debut in July 2006 at the age of 20. Since then, he has been recognized for his hitting, fielding, and overall solid play as a speedy outfielder.

Fortunately, Jones is signed with the Orioles for one more season and enters free agency in 2019.

A little bit of history

Jones’s best seasons were in his late 20s. He was named to the All-Star roster in five of his seasons. The first was in 2009, then in 2012-2015. In those four consecutive years, he had an average combined slash of .281/.381/.486/.804. He averaged 30 home runs, 32 doubles, and 10 stolen bases. In those four strong years, he averaged a WAR of 4.1 It is easy to see why he was selected for the All Star team.

Jones’s offense was not the only reason that he was added to the All Star team in those four years. He also has four Gold Glove awards to his name. He earned on in 2009 and then in 2012-2014. Jones regularly performs better than the league average when it comes to fielding percentage. He regularly has a range factor above 2.00 as well.

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How he got to Baltimore

The trade for Adam Jones happened in February 2008 when the Mariners sent him, Chris Tillman, George Sherrill and two other players to Baltimore. In exchange, Baltimore sent Erik Bedard to Seattle. It is safe to say that Baltimore won that trade as Bedard pitched for a few seasons with the Mariners and ended his three years there with a 3.31 ERA. He ended his 11-year career with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Orioles have gotten great value out of Jones. Tillman has also been an asset, despite his troubles.

Active players with similar home run numbers

So, with Adam Jones hitting his 250th puts him in good company. Justin Upton with the Detroit Tigers has 249 home runs in 11 seasons. Joey Votto has 254 in his 11 seasons. Matt Kemp in his 12th season has 255 home runs. Of the active players, Jones is in 25th place with this 250 home runs. He will stay there until he can get more home runs that Joey Votto, or if Justin Upton hits more.

Next: The Day the Orioles gave up 30 runs

It is quite interesting that Jones is in the 25th place after hitting his 25th home run to reach 250 home runs. When Jones started with the Mariners, he actually wore #25. Maybe it’s time to bring the old number back out again?