Baltimore Orioles: Adam Jones Among Strong Center Fielders in AL East
By Nate Wardle
2. Baltimore Orioles – Adam Jones
Preseason prediction, 1st – Adam Jones, Joey Rickard, Dariel Alvarez, LJ Hoes
Baltimore Orioles Adam Jones played hurt for a good first part of 2016 but rebounded in a big way in the second half. His offensive numbers included a .265 batting average (his worst in a full season), .310 OBP, .436 slugging percentage (also his worst in a full season), 29 HRs, 19 2Bs, 83 RBIs, 86 runs.
His oWAR was 2.1, which is solid. His dWAR was -0.6, which I will never understand. Jones rated negatively in runs above average. Someone explain to me how a guy who hits 265 with 29 HRs is below average? It is baffling. Also, explain how Jones, who led the AL in fielding percentage as a CF, has a range close to average, but rates badly defensively? Baffling. The Baltimore Orioles center fielder rated negatively defensively in 2012-2014, years he won Gold Gloves. He rated positively defensively in 2015 but did not win. No, Jones is not Pillar, or Kiermaier or Mike Trout. He doesn’t make a lot of flashy plays in the outfield. HOWEVER, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t get to a lot of balls. Jones had the fourth most putouts in the AL, behind Jackie Bradley Jr., Mike Trout, and Leonys Martin. Jones is a guy who plays very shallow but uses his speed to run down balls. The reason he was injured this year? Diving for a ball. That also hurt his throwing ability, as he has the second most assists for center fielders who are active in his career.
So, I know some will see as a homer decision. And that’s fine. If you were going to build your team around one of these five guys, who would it be? Do you want the guys who are strong defensively, but are average hitters with little power? Do you want a player who is getting older or a guy with one proven year in the game? Nothing against anyone else, but I will take the guy who has been a successful major league player year in and year out. Let the metrics say what they want. Rant over.