Baltimore Orioles: Appreciating Adam Jones’s desire to win

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 9: Adam Jones #10 of the Baltimore Orioles against the Minnesota Twins in the second inning of their baseball game on July 9, 2017 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota.(Photo by Andy King/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 9: Adam Jones #10 of the Baltimore Orioles against the Minnesota Twins in the second inning of their baseball game on July 9, 2017 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota.(Photo by Andy King/Getty Images) /
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The Baltimore Orioles fans have been incredibly fortunate to have Adam Jones as a de facto team leader for ten years.

To rally the troops, the Baltimore Orioles center fielder took to the airwaves to share his thoughts on the team’s championship drought.

Jones commented on how many of his friends have rings and how much he wants one, too.

Eduardo A. Encina with The Baltimore Sun reported on the All-Star center fielder’s words.

Jones told the media:

"“Last year obviously wasn’t that fun, but the previous five years were fun because we were winning and going forward that’s all I want is to be in a position to win, and if I’m not, then I have to find a position to win.”"

Friends with rings

It is clear that this man wants to win. And, if he has to go elsewhere, he will. For men who are incredibly competitive, the desire to play on a winning team is strong. Jones mentioned several friends of his who already have rings. Friends like Cameron Maybin, who won a ring with the Houston Astros last season.

He also mentioned Quintin Berry, who earned a World Series ring with the Boston Red Sox in 2013. Both of these friends have stolen bases during World Series games. Maybin has three plate appearance, a hit, and a run, too. While I am a huge fan of Maybin, neither he nor Berry are close to Jones regarding their ability on the field.

Could Jones go to another team?

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According to Encina’s article, the Orioles have not yet approached Jones on an extension. His contract expires at the end of 2018. I don’t know about you, but Jones looks like he’s okay with it. If all he wants is to be in a position to win, he might have to do it elsewhere. As there are plenty of teams that are happy to sign players who can get to championships. The O’s seem to have no idea what they want. If they did, there would be five quality veteran pitchers in the rotation and Machado, Schoop, and Jones would be extended already.

Unfortunately for Jones, most of the winning teams already have center fielders. The 2018 off-season spenders have Mike Trout, Byron Buxton, Charlie Blackmon, Lorenzo Cain, and George Springer. Only the weaker teams like the Kansas City Royals and Miami Marlins need better center fielders.

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Hopefully, the O’s can rally around his desire to win and they can defeat the tough AL East teams to get into the playoffs. It’s definitely not going to be easy.