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Name: Adam La Marque Jones
Position: Center Field
Drafted: 1st round, 2003, Seattle Mariners
Became an Oriole: Traded to the Orioles on February 8, 2008 by the Mariners along with fellow All Star Chris Tillman for LHP Erik Bedard.
How he got to the ASG: Voted to start by the fans
Adam Jones has been the starting center fielder for the Baltimore Orioles since 2008. Drafted by the Seattle Mariners out of high school and considered one of their top prospects, former O's GM Andy MacPhail fleeced the Mariners in a trade for Erik Bedard. Jones came over to the Orioles along with Tillman and pitchers George Sherrill, Kam Mickolio, and Tony Butler.
While many consider Jones to be an above-average defender in center field, the advanced defensive metrics such as UZR and DRS aren't huge fans of him. But that hasn't stopped the voters from awarding Jones two Gold Gloves in the past four years. Jones isn't always known for getting the best jumps in the outfield, but I'm confident in his ability to play a solid, if not spectacular, center field.
What makes Jones so valuable in center field is the power he possesses with his bat, something you don't always see from that position. In his five seasons with the Orioles coming into 2012, Jones hit 104 homers with a career high 32 in 2012.
Jones is streaky at the plate and will never be the kind of batter who takes a lot of walks, and for that he receives what I believe to be a lot of undue criticism at the plate. He's capable of following up a few cold weeks offensively with a tear that completely carries the team.
Last season, the Orioles signed Jones to a contract through the 2018 season, worth $85.5M.
In his sixth year as an Oriole, Jones has become a leader of this team and he is right in the middle of the goings on amongst the close-knit team. So far this season, Jones is hitting .296/.324/.501 with 19 homers. His 2.5 fWAR is 6th among AL center fielders although his wRC+ of 122 is second among qualified hitters to only Mike Trout.
GIF that might get him another Gold Glove
