Drafted 37th overall by the Seattle Mariners in 2003, Adam Jones made his way through the prospect ranks quickly. He was in AAA at the age of 20, but even after a pretty good year, he spent all of 2007 in AAA as well. During the following off-season, he was traded along with George Sherrill, Chris Tillman, and Kameron Mickolio to Baltimore for Erik Bedard. In his three plus years as a Baltimore Oriole, Jones has consistently been a 2-3 win player, but people have always expected more from the young man.
Last night was one of those nights where Adam Jones’ full arsenal was on display, and if you saw him last night, you saw a flash of a perennial All-Star. In the fourth inning, Adam Jones made a highlight reel catch. It was one of those catches that make you reminisce about the Willie Mays Catch or Ken Griffey’s catch that broke his wrist. A shot to center field sent Jones sprinting, not running but sprinting, toward the center field wall at Safeco Field. Making a few turns to see where the ball was, he made an over-the-shoulder catch as he crashed into the wall and held on. Total Zone has always had a rosier picture of Jones’ defense than UZR, but Jones always had a reputation as a sound defensive player. That was there last night.
If the catch wasn’t enough, Jones added 3 hits, including the game-winning home run in the eighth inning. Jones has been pretty consistent offensively during his career. During his rookie season in 2008, he hit .270/.311/.400, and he looked to be improving with a .277/.335/.457 line in 2009. But Jones regressed ever-so-slightly in 2010 to .284/.325/.442 with a horrid 3.7% BB%. This season, he is hitting .287/.332/.441. When you’re a young player, people expect the initial hiccups, and even with a bad rookie line, it was good enough considering Jones is a center fielder. But those same people also expect improvement, and that hasn’t been seen. His walks haven’t gone up. His average is about the same. He strikes out about as much as always. He hasn’t really even added any power at the age of 25.
But that’s the thing—he’s only 25. And you can still dream on guys like Adam Jones. He’s full of talent, and with his prime still ahead of him, you can see room for growth. You can still see images of Adam Jones being a star. Last night was one of those times—offense, defense, and the youth to believe he can be even better. This is both a blessing and a curse. Jones may never fulfill his potential and have games like last night more often that a few times a season, but you know what, he’s still a solid young player any way you slice it.
Elsewhere …
Colby Lewis is pretty good and Neftali Feliz actually finished the save … Just when Red Sox Nation had started to relax, they go get swept by the White Sox … And the Yankees sweep the A’s … While May might be over, Jay Bruce’s reign of terror is not … and other games happened as well.
Tonight’s Matchups
There’s a short slate of games (7) with a lot of “Eh”, but tune in at 10 to see James Shields and Felix Hernandez in a battle of Cy Young contenders.
