Former Orioles star outfielder hits Hall of Fame ballot for first time

Last week was a busy one for the Baltimore Orioles. Between the Rule 5 protection deadline on Tuesday and the non-tender deadline on Friday night, the O's had some big decisions to make. As such, we never got the chance to dig into former star outfielder Adam Jones and his first appearance on the MLB Hall of Fame ballot.

It's a bit unreal to think that it's been 5 years since we last saw Jones in MLB action. I'm not sure where the time goes these days but I can tell you from experience that it goes quick. Jones will always be on the short list for my personal favorite Orioles ever. He was so charismatic and fun to watch, and despite some of the team's challenges during his time here, he left a lasting legacy on the franchise.

On top of the off-field stuff, Jones was a star. There were a few years during his peak where he was one of the better outfielders in the league, and his stats back that up. He was a five-time All Star, going four straight years from 2012-2015, and won four Gold Glove awards.

In total, Jones finished with a .277/.317/.454 slash line with 282 homers and 97 steals. He fell just shy of the 1,000 mark for runs scored and RBI, finishing with 963 and 945 respectively.

Former Orioles star outfielder Adam Jones appears on Hall of Fame ballot for first time

At the end of the day, Jones had a solid career. He had a good, if short, peak and gave Orioles fans plenty of memories. Unfortunately, he didn't have as much success in the postseason as we'd have liked, but you can say that about the O's in general.

Despite that, Jones won't be a Hall of Famer. Any realistic look at his numbers tells you he's well short of the career milestones that are requisite of entry to the Hall, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him fall off the ballot after his first year.

It'll be especially difficult on this particular ballot. There are a couple surefire Hall of Famers on the list, including CC Sabathia and Ichiro Suzuki. Billy Wagner is on his 10th and final try, and finished close enough last year (73.8%, needing to get to 75%) to think he'll get in.

Two other guys, Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones, finished over 50% last year and will be very close this year. Then, Jones has to compete against guys like Chase Utley, Brian McCann, Felix Hernandez, and Dustin Pedroia, and that's before you get to the polarizing guys in Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez.

While Jones likely won't end up in the Hall of Fame, that doesn't make his time in Baltimore any less special. He'll forever have a place in the hearts of Orioles fans. That might not be enough for him, but it should be for us.