Adam Jones: Baltimore is Lucky to Have Him

I have lived in the Baltimore area for my entire life and have been a diehard local sports fan the entire time – and, I can truly say there is no sports town like Charm City. Call me a homer, but I believe Baltimore has the most passionate fan base in all of sports. Just look at the Ravens home record since 2000 and look what this town is like on Sundays in the fall. Also, look at the resurgence of orange and black throughout the city. With that being said, I scratch my head at times when I hear a number of fans criticize Joe Flacco at the drop of a hat. And, now I am starting to hear the same thing with Orioles center fielder Adam Jones. Honestly, I just don’t get it.

Every time Adam Jones has a bad at bat, I scroll my Facebook news feed and you would think he is the worst player in baseball judging by the comments. I ask you this, how many productive at bats has Chris Davis had this season? I always try to stay positive as a fan as I know being a professional athlete is a business and that it is one of, if not the, hardest profession to succeed in. This is especially true in baseball where you are considered an elite hitter if you get a hit only 30 percent of the time you are at the plate. Fans need to realize that not every player is perfect and that while Jones certainly has flaws, this franchise is much better off with him than it is without him.

Since being acquired by the Orioles in 2008, Jones has won three gold gloves and has now been an All-Star four times. In addition, he has 156 home runs (hitting more than 30 homers in each of the last two seasons) and it was Adam Jones, not Chris Davis, who was the leader in the Orioles playoff run in 2012. On top of all of that, Jones has not had any off-field issues, has fully embraced the community (he now makes his home here), and has done so much to give back to the community.

When the Ravens made their Super Bowl run in 2012, it was Adam Jones who was at every road game decked out in his Ravens gear and who helped bridge the gap between both franchises. Yet there are far too many fans who overlook these things and seem to only relate him to being a brash, bubble-blowing player who chases too many pitches. I have even heard quite a few say that Jones is not a leader and this team will never win a World Series with him. I mean honestly, what more does the guy need to do to be fully embraced? In my opinion, nothing.

Sure, it is frustrating at times to watch him come up and swing at three pitches out of the strike zone and strike out with a runner in scoring position. And, yes, I would love to see him cut down on that. However, much like Flacco, the Orioles franchise would be nowhere near as good as they are today without Adam Jones.

So for all those people who are sure to light up Jones next time he has a bad at bat and call him a bum or something to that effect, just remember how easy it is to get a hit in the MLB and to win a World Series. Oh wait, it’s not. Adam Jones is one of the top three center fielders in baseball and he continues to be a tremendous part of the community and has openly stated he is now a Baltimorean.

I love this town and wouldn’t want to be a sports fan in any other city. I truly believe this is the best sports town in America. Yet, I still cannot believe why so many people haven’t fully embraced Jones.

It is time to stop the criticizing and realize what we have: an elite baseball player in the prime of his career, one who signed a contract extension to STAY in Baltimore.

I’ll take Adam Jones on my team all day, every day and twice on Sundays. It’s time for everyone to start realizing how lucky we are to have him.