Adam Jones signs 2-year deal with Orix Buffaloes

[VaBird1]

I love that MLB players are going to other leagues!  Congrats to AJ!

[Babypowder]

12 hours ago, Mr. Chewbacca Jr. said:

His numbers in 2018 and 2019 were really similar. .313 OBP in both years. .419/.414 SLG. .732/.728 OPS. 15/16 HR.

He had 2.6 oWAR in 2018 and .2 oWAR in 2019, like you said. One of the big differences is he had fewer at-bats - which is pretty important for WAR. I think his true offensive value is somewhere between those two numbers.

I don't think Jones is a MLB-caliber starter at this point, but I think it is fair to say his bat would still play as a fourth outfielder for most teams. His problem is there's plenty of dudes cheaper than him who can match his skills at this point.

 

Offense was up across the league though, so while the raw counting numbers looked similar, he was actually quite a bit worse. That's why he had a 9 percent drop in offensive value falling from a 96 wRC+ down to 87. It looks like he got a pretty nice deal in Japan, he definitely wasn't getting anything like that in MLB.

[DrungoHazewood]

9 hours ago, atomic said:

-1 DWAR from a right fielder is actually better than -1 DWAR from a centerfielder.  

Ugh.  Sean Foreman's biggest flub has been putting oWAR and dWAR on bb-ref.  Way more confusing than enlightening.

dWAR = (defensive run above average for position) + (positional adjustment) converted to wins. A win is about 10 runs.

Let's say Adam Jones is a -10 CFer and a +0 RFer.  The typical full-season positional adjustment for CF is +2.5, for RF it's -7.5.  

So Adam as a CFer is (-10 + 2.5) = -7.5 runs or -3/4ths of a win.

Adam as a RFer is (-7.5 + 0) = -7.5 or  -3/4ths of a win.

Exactly the same overall defensive value.

[DrungoHazewood]

2 hours ago, Babypowder said:

Offense was up across the league though, so while the raw counting numbers looked similar, he was actually quite a bit worse. That's why he had a 9 percent drop in offensive value falling from a 96 wRC+ down to 87. It looks like he got a pretty nice deal in Japan, he definitely wasn't getting anything like that in MLB.

And if he plays reasonably well he's going to be an everyday regular, probably batting in the top half of the lineup. No way that's happening in the Majors.

Additionally, while many teams would be okay with their 4th outfielder having a .700ish OPS there's a risk of collapse for a 30-something veteran.  Combine that with his expected salary of at least several million and I can see why teams wouldn't want to take him on.

[sportsfan8703]

Tyler Wilson just re-upped in Korea for 1.6 million next year.  Not too shabby.  

[TommyPickles]

Well now I have another last-place baseball team to support.  Go Buffaloes! 

[backwardsk]

Are there good apps to stream Japanese and Korean baseball games?

[drjohnnyfeva]

I'll admit, I'm shocked that AJ would go this route.  I said as much when he wasn't getting any nibbles in FA last year.  CoC unequivocally stated he would play in Korea if not given a contract in MLB, I disagreed.  I don't agree with CoC often, but when I do... I don't still... hahahhaa.

I guess AJ likes both playing and a paycheck.  And why not, I guess.  Shocked that he would leave the family, but maybe he takes them with him for the season.  That was the wrinkle I couldn't fathom. 

[Can_of_corn]

20 minutes ago, drjohnnyfeva said:

I'll admit, I'm shocked that AJ would go this route.  I said as much when he wasn't getting any nibbles in FA last year.  CoC unequivocally stated he would play in Korea if not given a contract in MLB, I disagreed.  I don't agree with CoC often, but when I do... I don't still... hahahhaa.

I guess AJ likes both playing and a paycheck.  And why not, I guess.  Shocked that he would leave the family, but maybe he takes them with him for the season.  That was the wrinkle I couldn't fathom. 

Yea, I got a nice chuckle out of your comments both at the time and when I revisited the thread the other day.

[Frobby]

Fangraphs has a longish piece up about Adam’s move that concludes this way:

“It’s important to feel valued at work, and it’s easy to see how ballplayers in 2019 might increasingly feel like fungible assets. The 34-year-old appears seems excited to have signed with a club that appreciated his skills and presence — imagine that! — even if it takes him away from everything familiar and comfortable. That may or may not reflect an increasing willingness for guys to play elsewhere, but it’s certainly interesting to watch a star like Jones take a calculated look at the very large base of this year’s free agent pile on one side and the climate from recent winters on the other and decide ‘to hell with all of this.’”

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/adam-jones-does-something-interesting/

[weams]

2 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Fangraphs has a longish piece up about Adam’s move that concludes this way:

“It’s important to feel valued at work, and it’s easy to see how ballplayers in 2019 might increasingly feel like fungible assets. The 34-year-old appears seems excited to have signed with a club that appreciated his skills and presence — imagine that! — even if it takes him away from everything familiar and comfortable. That may or may not reflect an increasing willingness for guys to play elsewhere, but it’s certainly interesting to watch a star like Jones take a calculated look at the very large base of this year’s free agent pile on one side and the climate from recent winters on the other and decide ‘to hell with all of this.’”

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/adam-jones-does-something-interesting/

When he took the time on MLB Network to address his situation during the Winter Meetings he indicated that the new CBA negotiation was coming up, and he wished his fellow members of the MLBPA the best of luck. 

[Satyr3206]

He wants to be a regular and make some money. I wish him well. A fair amount of ML Players and a few Managers have done very well in Japan throughout the years. Warren Cromartie and Bobby Valentine come to mind.

[Satyr3206]

On 12/11/2019 at 6:26 PM, TommyPickles said:

Well now I have another last-place baseball team to support.  Go Buffaloes! 

At least the last place team in Japan will spend a few bucks to entertain their fans. The Orioles can't afford Fanfest.

[Just Regular]

On 12/11/2019 at 7:53 PM, drjohnnyfeva said:

Shocked that he would leave the family, but maybe he takes them with him for the season.  That was the wrinkle I couldn't fathom. 

I imagine that he would; I'd just about go as far as to say I couldn't fathom he wouldn't.  Notwithstanding the collapse of his market the last couple years, he has $100M in career earnings and a young family - it's an adventure they can manage.

[drjohnnyfeva]

On 12/13/2019 at 7:18 PM, OrioleDog said:

I imagine that he would; I'd just about go as far as to say I couldn't fathom he wouldn't.  Notwithstanding the collapse of his market the last couple years, he has $100M in career earnings and a young family - it's an adventure they can manage.

An adventure, indeed.  Had a friend who was going to do long distance travel for a year to China and back, but a couple months into it decided it was worth bringing the whole family with him.  That was three years ago.