Adam Jones is The Man

[tettleton14]

Ah, gotcha. I'm not up-to-date on my comprehension of WAR. I was looking at the ESPN stat for batters, which I didn't know included fielding.

[Enjoy Terror]

I was thinking maybe you were confused and the stat was the last 30-days or something. I looked and said "well Peralta has been killing the ball in June, that MUST be it"...

...and then I looked at Jones' June-- dude has video game numbers.

[Frobby]

Anyone else noticed his OPS is up to .840, and his OBP is at .330? I mean yeah it's still largely average driven but I've come to expect that from him. It took a while, but he's really come on the last month or so.

Yes, I've noticed. June was insane for Adam and July is off to a good start. His history has been that he cools off a bit in late August and September. Last year he was at .304/.332/.519 on August 11 before finishing at .285/.318/.493. In 2012 he actually gradually declined from about late June on, but he was still at .298/.344/.530 as late as August 12, before finishing at .287/.334/.505. So, Adam's challenge this year will be to stay strong for the final 6-7 week stretch run.

[DrungoHazewood]

Some WAR statistics just annoy me. For instance according to ESPN, Adam Jones has an offensive WAR of 3.0 while St. Louis shortstop Jhonny Peralta has an offensive WAR of 3.4. Peralta is hitting .239, with a .321 OBP, .754 OPS, 11 HR, 36 RBI.

No matter how you slice is Peralta's offensive ranking — by any measure — should not be above Jones'.

I think either you or ESPN is misinterpreting something. By both Fangraphs and bb-ref's reckoning Jones is 5-6 runs better than Peralta with the bat, 4-6 runs better on baserunning, that's more than a win to the positive for Jones.

[Babypowder]

Adam Jones, top 15 hitter?

He's played like a top-15 player so far according to fWAR, not by rWAR (which I prefer). A lot of that has to do with his out of character positive fielding metrics though. A top 15 hitter? Nah. He's 35th in wRC+ and 33rd in wOBA.

[Redskins Rick]

And he even got a walk on June 30th.

[weams]

"I fit here in this city. I fit here on this team. I fit in Camden Yards. I really don't see myself wearing another white uniform that doesn't have 'Orioles' across the chest."

"If we win here, this is my championship. This is our championship. I'm not part of someone else's championship."

[weams]

Yes, I've noticed. June was insane for Adam and July is off to a good start. His history has been that he cools off a bit in late August and September. Last year he was at .304/.332/.519 on August 11 before finishing at .285/.318/.493. In 2012 he actually gradually declined from about late June on, but he was still at .298/.344/.530 as late as August 12, before finishing at .287/.334/.505. So, Adam's challenge this year will be to stay strong for the final 6-7 week stretch run.

"Everybody knows I'm not from Baltimore, but this is now my town.''

[MrOrange82]

Palmer: "I think it had something to do with your plate discipline, taking the count to 2-0."

AJ: "Hey, there's something you don't hear too often."

Have I mentioned that I <3 AJ? He's got a career in broadcasting waiting for him after baseball.

[jtm]

I put this in the game thread, but I also think he called Thorne "Uncle Gary." That was awesome.

[epic]

Jones seriously is the man. That post-game interview was gold.

[luismatos4prez]

Don't look now but according to Fangraphs his plate discipline is noticeably improved this year. He's not walking any still, but he's chasing far fewer pitches outside of the zone. Swinging less in general but putting his bat on the ball more when he swings.

I've definitely facepalmed less at him chasing horrible pitches this year than I usually do.

Easily the best year of his career so far.

[pdiddy]

"I fit here in this city. I fit here on this team. I fit in Camden Yards. I really don't see myself wearing another white uniform that doesn't have 'Orioles' across the chest."

"If we win here, this is my championship. This is our championship. I'm not part of someone else's championship."

Was that from tonight's post game?! That is awesome. Love to see a player that loves Baltimore as much as we do.

[weams]

Some WAR statistics just annoy me. For instance according to ESPN, Adam Jones has an offensive WAR of 3.0 while St. Louis shortstop Jhonny Peralta has an offensive WAR of 3.4. Peralta is hitting .239, with a .321 OBP, .754 OPS, 11 HR, 36 RBI.

No matter how you slice is Peralta's offensive ranking ? by any measure ? should not be above Jones'.

Yeah, I did not see those stats. Adam is a very good ballplayer. At his peak.

[Hallas]

Don't look now but according to Fangraphs his plate discipline is noticeably improved this year. He's not walking any still, but he's chasing far fewer pitches outside of the zone. Swinging less in general but putting his bat on the ball more when he swings.

I've definitely facepalmed less at him chasing horrible pitches this year than I usually do.

Easily the best year of his career so far.

I noticed this too, and I think he is just using favorable counts and his contact ability to smack hittable pitches for doubles instead of working a walk. That's fine by me.