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Hats off to AJ -- Once again a model of consistency

FanSince88

By FanSince88
in Orioles Talk

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Crabcakes AAA

Crabcakes

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.... And being that he's hitting lead off, the OBP portion should be more important to him because he's the table setter for Manny, Davis, Trumbo ..... You think it's strange that for all of the offensive firepower we have, we'll only have 1 100 RBI player this year?

I've kept track of AJ's ab's since he started batting lead off (because, frankly I did not think it was a good idea). In 80 games this year leading off, Jones has 18 singles, 2 doubles, 4 hrs & (only) 4 walks .... this is a .300 ba & a .350 OBP .... not too shabby(if my math is correct... big 'if'). He also has 10 strikeouts. The Orioles have scored 45 first-inning runs. Of those, Jones has scored 13 first-inning runs.

Getting on base is Jones' responsibility in the first ab. He does so 35% of the time. It's the following batters that are responsible to bring him home.

My criticism of Jones has been well documented here & other forums. But, if he's out for any length of time, especially during the last month of the season, it's going to hurt the O's post-season chances immensely. The O's have no better outfielder, or lead off man in the Organization. And, however you take it, that's probably a slam to the farm system too.

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Crabcakes AAA

Crabcakes

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No need to over analyze this numbers. Adam Jones is the heart and soul of this organization... he has a huge impact on the team in both performance and leadership. O's need him on the field. Period.

No one is 'over analyzing' his numbers. The numbers are what they are. You either find numbers to support him, or you find numbers to not support him. Argue them all you want. But, you can't change them.

As for Jones being the 'heart & soul of this organization' .... with his absence, we shall see ... either way, the O's won today without him ... & the record for O's without Jones, or Jones ab is 7-2

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ChinMusic Major Leaguer

ChinMusic

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Just realize AJ is a .778 career OPS guy. He is what he is. No need to try to make him a star. In comparison, Mookie Betts is doing stuff in his second year that AJ won't ever do in his career. I like AJ but not in the lead off position.

I'm having a difficult time understanding the point of your posts in this thread. Of course Adam is who he is. YOU seem to be the only person who doesn't get that for some reason.

The value Adam provides to this team goes beyond his raw numbers. He is the de facto captain, a leader, the face of the franchise.

That's good enough for me, flaws and all. We are fortunate to have him.

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evenparthrough9 Major Leaguer Cup of Coffee

evenparthrough9

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I'm having a difficult time understanding the point of your posts in this thread. Of course Adam is who he is. YOU seem to be the only person who doesn't get that for some reason.

The value Adam provides to this team goes beyond his raw numbers. He is the de facto captain, a leader, the face of the franchise.

That's good enough for me, flaws and all. We are fortunate to have him.

How does that manifest itself as far as World Series are concerned. That is the ultimate goal. Do you not want to win the World Series?

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Frobby Hangout Grand Counsel

Frobby

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How does that manifest itself as far as World Series are concerned. That is the ultimate goal. Do you not want to win the World Series?

I do. And I believe a team that has Adam Jones as its CF could win a World Series.

I'm not sure I really understand what you are trying to say. Is Mookie Betts a better player than Adam Jones? Yes. Is he better now than Adam Jones ever was? Yes. Betts is a top 10 player in baseball, and Jones has never been that. But that doesn't mean that Jones hasn't been a very valuable player for us. And it doesn't mean that Jones' leadership off the field isn't important.

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evenparthrough9 Major Leaguer Cup of Coffee

evenparthrough9

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I do. And I believe a team that has Adam Jones as its CF could win a World Series.

I'm not sure I really understand what you are trying to say. Is Mookie Betts a better player than Adam Jones? Yes. Is he better now than Adam Jones ever was? Yes. Betts is a top 10 player in baseball, and Jones has never been that. But that doesn't mean that Jones hasn't been a very valuable player for us. And it doesn't mean that Jones' leadership off the field isn't important.

Frobby, here's my thing. Adam has the ability to be Mookie Betts. He gets himself out way too often. Creating weak contact on balls that should have been taken. That in turn makes the pitcher work and allows them to make their own mistakes and gets us into the Achilles of most teams, middle relief.

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Aristotelian Hangout Grand Counsel

Aristotelian

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Just realize AJ is a .778 career OPS guy. He is what he is. No need to try to make him a star. In comparison, Mookie Betts is doing stuff in his second year that AJ won't ever do in his career. I like AJ but not in the lead off position.

One way to think about batting order is how you maximize team production putting individuals (numbers held constant) in different spots in the order. But the state people have shown pretty convincingly that that effect is negligible.

A different way to think about it is how you might maximize each individuals production by moving them around in different spots. AJ is hitting .300/.332/.837 in the leadoff spot. It is possible he is trying to hit more like a leadoff hitter, and/or that he hits better without the pressure of 2 outs. Either way, he started producing almost immediately when moved to that spot. Buck isn't going to change that. The question is not "who is the best leadoff hitter" but "what spot is the best for each player". Leadoff seems to be working pretty well for AJ and is helping to minimize some of the bad tendencies that seem to make him a bad leadoff hitter.

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Frobby Hangout Grand Counsel

Frobby

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Frobby, here's my thing. Adam has the ability to be Mookie Betts. He gets himself out way too often. Creating weak contact on balls that should have been taken. That in turn makes the pitcher work and allows them to make their own mistakes and gets us into the Achilles of most teams, middle relief.

I don't think he has the ability to be Mookie Betts. I don't believe that lack of selectivity is something a player has full control of. It is not a matter of him simply deciding not to swing at pitches out of the strike zone. Some guys are better at pitch recognition than others. Some have to start their swing earlier than others. Adam frustrates me a good deal, but I don't feel like his weaknesses are just a matter of being stubborn about his approach. I've just decided that overall he has been an above average player despite his weaknesses, that we are going to see any radical changes in his strengths and weaknesses at age 31, and I'm not going to lose sleep over it.

P.S. -- Jones' walk rate, while still low, is the highest it has been since 2009. So, at least there's that.

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evenparthrough9 Major Leaguer Cup of Coffee

evenparthrough9

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I don't think he has the ability to be Mookie Betts. I don't believe that lack of selectivity is something a player has full control of. It is not a matter of him simply deciding not to swing at pitches out of the strike zone. Some guys are better at pitch recognition than others. Some have to start their swing earlier than others. Adam frustrates me a good deal, but I don't feel like his weaknesses are just a matter of being stubborn about his approach. I've just decided that overall he has been an above average player despite his weaknesses, that we are going to see any radical changes in his strengths and weaknesses at age 31, and I'm not going to lose sleep over it.

P.S. -- Jones' walk rate, while still low, is the highest it has been since 2009. So, at least there's that.

I realize this is a small sample size, but let's take a look at Josh Bell. In 27 ABs he's walked 9 times. He's only struck out twice. I know he's not going to hit .407 or have a 1.250 OPS but you see what swinging at pitches you can do damage with can do.

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