Subscribe
Follow Us
Adam Jones may only be a special advisor for the Baltimore Orioles, but it's clear he's ready to make an impact on the franchise where he spent most of his career.
Jones will work for general manager Mike Elias and also serve as a community ambassador for the club. He played his last game in 2019 but retired as an Oriole when the team signed him to a one-day contract in 2023. Elias said bringing Jones into the front office was an idea that took “several years” to materialize.
Now that it's here, Jones is happy for the opportunity.
“It’s been a long time coming, and [I'm] just ecstatic about this opportunity,” he told the media on Monday.
“It drew a lot of attention and I think that people really appreciated what I did between the lines, off the field also,” he continued. “And now that I have more time as a retired player, I think I can give that to the city and to the organization a little bit more.”
The five-time All-Star was active in the Baltimore community as a player and that will carry over into his new role as he continues his work with the Baltimore RBI program and participates in the Orioles' adopt-a-school partnership with Harlem Park Elementary Middle School.
He will also be a resource for a prospect-laden Orioles franchise.
“I’ve played the game, I know the game, I’ve raised children throughout the game. I think I can help player personnel understand how to navigate professional life,” he said. “Professional life is a completely different aspect and I would love to help the young kids navigate that first, second year, adapt themselves to the professional level.”
Adam Jones could help bring more Orioles alumni back to the ballpark
Jones played for the Orioles from 2009 to 2018, and now that he's back in the organization, he hopes to bring more former players back to the ballpark.
“I think that David Rubenstein buying the team and the ownership group has given us a really fresh platform here to examine everything, and certainly expanding the relations with our alumni, formatting that in a way that makes sense for everybody, that’s something that’s been an ongoing discussion. And to me, this is a great place to start,” Elias explained.
He also views Jones as part of the bridge from the last era of successful Orioles teams to this one. Baltimore is coming off of consecutive 90-plus-win seasons and playoff appearances, boasting a young roster loaded with potential.
“I think that the team that Adam was a big part of, kind of this group right now, you look, his team was kind of the last group to have a good run in the American League East, and so it’s important for me to kind of build a bridge to that era, and Adam is the perfect guy,” Elias said.
