JAWS and the 2025 Corridor of Fame Poll: Adam Jones

The next article is a part of Jay Jaffe’s ongoing have a look at the candidates on the BBWAA 2025 Corridor of Fame poll. For an in depth introduction to this yr’s poll, and different candidates within the collection, use the device above; an introduction to JAWS could be discovered right here. For a tentative schedule, see right here. All WAR figures consult with the Baseball Reference model until in any other case indicated.

Adam Jones was Mr. Baltimore. Although he was born in San Diego and commenced his main league profession in Seattle, Jones took to Baltimore upon being traded to the Orioles in 2008. On the sphere, he set an instance for youthful teammates throughout lean years, and his mixture of energy, pace, and sleek protection finally helped the group finish an epic streak of futility. He served as a starter on the Orioles’ first three playoff groups on this millennium, profitable 4 Gold Gloves and making 5 All-Star groups. Off the sphere, Jones invested within the metropolis, yearly donating a big chunk of his wage to the native Boys & Women Membership and different charitable endeavors. He emerged as a civic icon, a Black athlete who may relate to the hardships skilled by the town’s Black inhabitants, and one who wasn’t afraid to talk out relating to the injustices he noticed each domestically and nationally.

Jones’ nationwide prominence reached its zenith in 2017 when he made a memorable, iconic catch to rob Manny Machado of a house run whereas taking part in middle discipline through the World Baseball Traditional — a key second in serving to Crew USA win the event for the one time up to now.

“After I first acquired right here [2010], he was our greatest participant, however he additionally performed the sport the best means,” supervisor Buck Showalter instructed ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian in 2015. “His phrases include a variety of weight. He walks the stroll. Nobody performs tougher than Adam Jones. 9 innings, 90 toes, nobody. That’s not one thing that everybody can do within the massive leagues, play exhausting each play, put up up every single day… He’ll inform the reality, and he’ll say it to your face. He likes to win, doesn’t wish to lose.”

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Adam LaMarque Jones was born on August 1, 1985 in San Diego, California, the youngest of 5 kids raised by his mom Andrea Brown Bradley and stepfather Kenneth Bradley. Jones grew up in a southeast San Diego neighborhood rife with gangs, medicine, and violence. He offered sweet door to door to earn cash to purchase lunch in school. As a baby, he was fascinated with soccer and basketball, and it wasn’t till his stepfather took him to a Padres sport when he was 12 that he took an curiosity within the baseball or picked up a bat.

Jones turned out to be a fast research when it got here to baseball. He turned a Padres fan, idolized Tony Gwynn, and made mates who helped present a few of the stability and materials items he wanted to remain out of hassle and pursue journey baseball. The household of Jett Ruiz, his group’s catcher, took Jones into their Lakeside house for weekends throughout journey ball season, shopping for him a Mizuno glove and different gear. Future main leaguer Quintin Berry turned his closest good friend; as Berry would later observe, each he and Jones confirmed sufficient promise on the diamond that native gangs elected to provide them a large berth.

At Samuel Morse Excessive Faculty, Jones performed basketball and soccer in addition to baseball. Not missing for self-worth, he instructed Morse’s coach Matt Cleek when he was a sophomore, “I’m gonna be your no. 1 pitcher… and your greatest participant.” He starred as a pitcher and shortstop, capable of throw 96 mph together with his fastball; he additionally threw “breaking balls that sank everywhere,” Ruiz instructed the Baltimore Solar’s Mike Klingaman in 2012, and experimented with switch-hitting. After his junior yr he thought of transferring to Mission Bay Excessive Faculty, the place he would have paired with 2004 prime decide Matt Bush on the center infield, however Jones balked when he was instructed that he must shift to second base as an alternative of Bush. As a senior, he hit .406, posted a 2.71 ERA, and helped Morse to the 2003 California State semifinals.

Forward of the 2003 draft, some groups had been fascinated with Jones the pitcher, others in Jones the shortstop. “Jones has restricted abilities past uncooked stuff, and little really feel for pitching,” wrote Baseball America in a pre-draft report. “He prefers to be an on a regular basis participant and is athletic [enough] to play nearly any place on the sphere. He’s a possible five-tool expertise, although his bat is a bit suspect.” In a judgment that didn’t age properly, the publication added, “Make-up can be a difficulty with Jones, who has had a troublesome upbringing.” The report moreover in contrast him to Bush: “[S]couts say Jones is larger, sooner and has a greater arm, although Bush is extra refined.”

As the pinnacle coach at San Diego State, Gwynn recruited Jones, who signed a letter of intent to the varsity, however when the Mariners drafted him as a supplemental first-round decide, thirty seventh total, he selected to signal for a $925,000 bonus. He started his skilled profession taking part in shortstop for the Mariners’ Arizona Advanced League affiliate, hitting .284/.368/.349 in 30 video games and incomes a late-season promotion to Low-A Everett. “We’re nonetheless undecided what we’ve acquired,” Arizona supervisor Scott Steinmann instructed Baseball America, “however he prefers to play within the discipline. It’s attainable we gained’t make a last willpower on whether or not he’s a pitcher or shortstop till subsequent yr. He’s acquired a variety of upside both means.”

Jones remained on the place participant path, spending 2004 at A-level Wisconsin and splitting ’05 between Excessive-A Inland Empire and Double-A San Antonio, hitting a mixed .297/.370/.479 with 15 homers and 13 steals. He primarily performed shortstop in each seasons, however after a quick experiment in middle discipline at San Antonio, the Mariners moved him to the center pasture for the 2005 Arizona Fall League, believing that incumbent shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt (then simply 23) would turn into a star. Baseball America ranked Jones sixty fourth on its 2006 Prime 100 Prospects record, and in contrast him to former Mariners middle fielder Mike Cameron: “Each are premium athletes with plus pace, stable energy and robust arms.”

After a robust half-season at Triple-A Tacoma, the 20-year-old Jones was referred to as up by the Mariners shortly after incumbent middle fielder Jeremy Reed broke his thumb, an damage that turned out to be season-ending. Jones debuted on July 14, 2006, going 0-for-3 with a stroll in opposition to the Blue Jays. He went 0-for-12 earlier than amassing his first hit on July 18, a single off the Orioles’ Sidney Ponson; on August 10, he hit his first homer, off the Rangers’ Adam Eaton. Largely overmatched, he was despatched again to Tacoma in late August, and restricted to late-inning responsibility when the Mariners recalled him in September. In all, he hit simply .216/.237/.311 (42 OPS+) with a 28.9% strikeout price in 74 plate appearances, although he did play middle discipline properly.

Jones climbed to twenty eighth in BA’s Prime 100. The publication envisioned him as a possible Gold Glove winner, lauding his work ethic and skill to regulate, however expressed concern about his plate self-discipline and strikeout points. He spent the primary 4 months of the 2007 season at Tacoma, hitting .314/.382/.586 with 25 homers and eight steals, then was recalled in early August. With Ichiro Suzuki shifting over from proper discipline to play commonly in middle, Jones was primarily utilized in left and off the bench; taking simply 71 PA in 41 video games, he hit simply .246/.300/.400 (86 OPS+), highlighted by a game-tying pinch-homer off the A’s Alan Embree on September 12.

The 2007 Mariners gained 88 video games, their greatest exhibiting in 4 years. Believing they had been one frontline pitcher away from returning to the playoffs for the primary time since 2001, in February ’08 they traded Jones and 4 pitchers (Tony Butler, Kam Mickolio, George Sherrill, and Chris Tillman) to the Orioles for lefty Erik Bedard. With Sherrill and Tillman every making an All-Star group and Jones making 5 whereas Bedard totaled simply 46 begins throughout two and a half seasons, the commerce turned out to be one of many worst in Mariners historical past. Not that the Orioles had been any good, as that they had already strung collectively 10 straight sub-.500 seasons, together with a 69-93 report in 2007. With the 22-year-old Jones changing Corey Patterson and Tike Redman, the O’s had been no higher in 2008 (68-93), however the newcomer hit .270/.311/.400 (87 OPS+) with 9 homers, 10 steals, and 6 DRS in middle discipline, good for two.0 WAR regardless of lacking 4 weeks after fracturing his left foot with a foul ball.

Jones broke out in 2009, making his first All-Star group and profitable his first Gold Glove on the energy of a .277/.335/.457 (105 OPS+) season with 19 homers and 10 steals, although his 2 DRS suggests he was much less efficient than he appeared — a difficulty that may resurface. He didn’t play after September 1 because of a left ankle sprain, however his 2.6 WAR in 119 video games represented enchancment. Wholesome sufficient to play 300 video games in 2010–11, he posted slight enhancements in offense relative to the league however inconsistent protection. In 2011, the higher of these two seasons, he hit .280/.319/.466 with 25 homers, 12 steals, -1 DRS and three.3 WAR.

Showalter took over as supervisor for the fired Dave Tremblay and interim Juan Samuel late within the 2010 season, guiding the Orioles to a 34-23 report over the ultimate two months and alter. The Orioles couldn’t keep that momentum in 2011, with one other 69-93 marketing campaign, their 14th straight under .500. Issues modified in 2012. Due to plenty of elements, together with breakouts by Tillman and DH Chris Davis, the arrivals of 26-year-old lefty Wei-Yin Chen and the 19-year-old Machado — in addition to a 29-9 report in one-run video games — the Orioles earned a Wild Card berth with a 93-69 report. Jones led the group with 4.1 WAR whereas batting .287/.334/.505 (125 OPS+) with 32 homers and 16 steals, with all however the OBP representing profession bests to that time. He made his second All-Star group and gained his second Gold Glove regardless of a ghastly -13 DRS (and -6.0 UZR); notably, this was the final yr earlier than the SABR Defensive Index was launched.

In Could 2012, Jones parlayed his upgraded play right into a six-year, $85.5 million extension with the Orioles for the ’13–18 seasons, the largest contract in group historical past to that time. He earmarked $75,000 of his wage yearly for the native Boys & Women Golf equipment, together with $20,000 to school scholarships for needy college students. “I match right here on this metropolis. I match right here on this group. I slot in Camden Yards,” Jones mentioned on the press convention to announce his extension. “I actually don’t see myself carrying one other white uniform that doesn’t have ‘Orioles’ throughout the chest.”

“The dude made the money register ring each time he hit a house run, didn’t he?” mentioned Dan Duquette, Baltimore’s government vice chairman of baseball operations.

Jones wasn’t a lot assist in the Orioles’ first postseason since 1997, going 2-for-26 within the Wild Card Sport in opposition to the Rangers and the Division Collection in opposition to the Yankees. He and the Orioles fell wanting returning after an 85-win marketing campaign in 2013, however for Jones it was arguably his greatest season, as he set new profession highs in WAR (4.8), house runs (33), and RBI (108) whereas hitting .285/.318/.493 (118 OPS+) and including 14 steals as properly. His protection rebounded to -1 run; once more he gained a Gold Glove, and he started a string of three straight All-Star Sport begins.

Jones adopted up with one other 4.8-WAR season in 2014, with 29 homers and a 115 OPS+, that regardless of strolling simply 19 instances whereas placing out 133 instances. This time, the Orioles gained 96 video games and their first AL East flag since 1997. Although he went simply 2-for-11, Jones scored 4 runs in three video games because the Orioles swept the Tigers within the Division Collection. He hit a two-run homer off Yordano Ventura in Sport 2 of the ALCS, however the Orioles had been swept by the Royals.

After taking part in 150 or extra video games in every of the earlier 4 seasons, Jones was restricted to 137 in 2015 by numerous aches and pains attributable to sacrificing his physique. He missed time in June because of proper shoulder soreness stemming from an try and make a diving catch on June 15 in opposition to the Phillies, and concussion-like signs after crashing right into a wall in Texas on August 27. He hit .269/.308/.474 (110 OPS+) with 27 homers and three.5 WAR; although his 5 DRS was his greatest exhibiting in that class since 2008, his string of three straight Gold Gloves ended — as properly it ought to have given the off-the-charts 38 DRS of Kevin Kiermaier.

By 2015, Jones had already turn into a Baltimore establishment, however his voice took on elevated resonance as he publicly grappled with the civic unrest within the wake of the loss of life of Freddie Grey, a 25-year-old Black man who had been arrested for possession of a knife on April 12, 2015 and who sustained a deadly spinal wire damage whereas in police custody per week later, leading to legal fees in opposition to six officers. Ongoing protests in opposition to the Baltimore Police Division turned violent, and hearth and escalating civil dysfunction compelled the postponement of an Orioles-White Sox sport, which was subsequently rescheduled to be performed in an empty Camden Yards. Earlier than the sport, Jones associated his personal experiences rising as much as these skilled by the town’s Black youth, and expressed empathy for them:

“There’s been a variety of good protesting, there have been lots of people standing up for the rights that they’ve… The youth are hurting… It might probably appear to be nobody’s preventing for you however there are individuals like myself. I say to the youth, your frustration is warranted. It’s comprehensible, understood. The actions I don’t assume are acceptable, however in case you come from the place they arrive from, you perceive… That is their cry… They want hugs. They want love. They want assist.

“I really feel the ache of those children. Let’s keep in mind I grew up on comparable tracks as them… It’s simply not straightforward seeing a neighborhood [where] you are attempting to have an effect on change in, seeing these sort of issues, however it’s comprehensible as a result of these children are damage. And these children have seen the ache of their dad and mom’ eyes, the ache of their grandparents’ eyes over many years, and that is their means of talking on behalf of their dad and mom and behalf of their grandparents and individuals who have been damage.”

Jones remained seen and outspoken. He continued to talk out on issues of race and sports activities, expressing assist for Colin Kaepernick and different NFL gamers kneeling through the nationwide anthem in 2016 as a protest in opposition to racial inequality. “I’ve seen Kaepernick referred to as the N-word,” Jones instructed USA Immediately’s Bob Nightengale, “simply because he’s being delicate to what has occurred to African People on this nation. It’s loopy how when individuals of shade communicate up, we’re at all times ridiculed. However when individuals that aren’t of shade communicate up, it’s their proper.”

Explaining why baseball gamers weren’t protesting to the diploma that soccer gamers had been, Jones was pointedly vital of the business, telling Nightengale:

“We have already got two strikes in opposition to us already… so that you may as properly not kick your self out of the sport. In soccer, you may’t kick them out. You want these gamers. In baseball, they don’t want us.

“Baseball is a white man’s sport.”

Nightengale famous that simply 8% of baseball gamers on Opening Day rosters had been African People, in comparison with 68% of gamers within the NFL and 74% within the NBA.

Whether or not it was related to his outspokenness or just a very egregious instance of unhealthy fan habits, on Could 1, 2017, Jones turned the goal of abuse at Fenway Park. “A disrespectful fan threw a bag of peanuts at me,” Jones instructed USA Immediately, “I used to be referred to as the N-word a handful of instances tonight. Thanks. Fairly superior.” Crimson Sox officers issued an apology to Jones and confirmed the ejection of the fan and someplace round 30 others in attendance. Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker and Boston mayor Marty Walsh each condemned the followers’ habits as properly.

As Jones later defined to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick:

“These are issues that athletes, notably of my shade, face typically all through their careers,” Jones mentioned. “They’re offered with the selection to both let one thing go or to problem it and communicate up on it. I selected the path to problem it and communicate up on it. However with that, I wish to educate myself on either side. I don’t wish to simply communicate brashly on one thing I don’t know something about, which lots of people do by the retailers that we’ve got.

On the sphere, although Jones remained an influence menace after 2015, with 29 homers in ’16 and 26 in ’17, his protection went right into a steep decline — to -7 DRS within the former yr, -13 within the latter — and he totaled simply 4.3 WAR for the 2 seasons. The Orioles gained 89 video games and claimed a Wild Card spot in 2016; Jones went 1-for-5 in opposition to the Blue Jays, however the Orioles misplaced on Edwin Encarnación’s three-run homer off Ubaldo Jiménez as Zach Britton regarded on.

Regardless of Jones’ more and more subpar defensive metrics, he made what could be essentially the most well-known defensive play in World Baseball Traditional historical past in 2017. In a sport in opposition to the Dominican Republic that may decide which of the 2 groups superior from Pool F to the championship spherical, Crew USA — which had misplaced to the Dominican group 7-5 within the first spherical — led 4-2 going into the underside of the seventh inning at Petco Park. Forward within the rely 2-1, Machado barreled an elevated Tyler Clippard fastball to middle discipline. The 106-mph drive regarded gone off the bat, however Jones ranged 100 toes to his left and timed his leap completely, snagging the ball a number of toes above the best middle discipline fence to rob his Orioles teammate of a certain house run. Machado doffed his helmet to salute the good play, and Jones returned the gesture, capping an iconic and serendipitous second for the San Diego native. Crew USA went on to win the sport 6-3, and, with victories over Japan within the semifinals and Puerto Rico within the finals, captured its solely event championship so far.

In distinction to the fortunes of Crew USA, the Orioles went south with rising pace, shedding 87 video games in 2017 after which a jaw-dropping 115 in ’18. They traded Machado, Zack Britton, Kevin Gausman, Darren O’Day, Jonathan Schoop and others in July 2018 however not Jones, who had a no-trade clause however was a pending free agent. Whereas he hit a respectable-for-the-position .281/.313/.419 (101 OPS+), hip points value him vary, and he set a profession worst with -19 DRS whereas ending with simply 0.6 WAR.

As an alternative of discovering one other massive payday as hoped, Jones signed a one-year, $3 million-plus incentives cope with the Diamondbacks, and agreed to maneuver to proper discipline. Reportedly, the one different group that confirmed curiosity was the Marlins. The transfer no less than allowed Jones to be nearer to his mom and stepfather, who lived within the Phoenix space. Sadly, Jones continued his decline, hitting for an 87 OPS+ with -0.8 WAR. Nonetheless simply 34 on the finish of the 2019 season, he determined to proceed his profession in Japan, signing a two-year, $8 million contract with the Orix Buffaloes. He hit .258/.331/.417 with 12 homers in 87 video games in 2020, then simply .234/.337/.335 with 4 homers in 72 video games the following yr, although he capped his taking part in profession with a pinch-homer in Sport 5 of the 2021 Japan Collection in opposition to the Yakult Swallows.

“After having performed for nearly twenty years in MLB, with the ability to study and research and examine how one other nation does baseball was fascinating,” wrote Jones for a career-capping piece within the Gamers Tribune. On September 15, 2023, Jones signed a one-day contract with the Orioles and formally retired. “My last time placing on a jersey will probably be right here, and I’m simply without end grateful for what Baltimore has taught me,” the 38-year-old Jones mentioned. “I’m simply glad that I’ll at all times be welcome on this metropolis. The individuals right here actually appreciated the way in which I carried myself, performed the sport and gave again.”