Stat Boy vs. Frederick from Frederick: The return of "Bubble Gum" Jones
On August 2nd, facing the Seattle Mariners, Adam "Bubble Gum" Jones fouled a ball off his foot, landing him on the 15-day disabled list with a broken left foot.
It has been 3 and a half weeks since his injury and he has begun to work out and take BP before games again. If the Orioles' trainers say that he is okay to play before the season ends, should they run the risk of bringing him back?
Stat Boy: Adam Jones wants to come back. He's clearly working hard to come back. Why not let him come back?
Frederick from Frederick: Of course Jones wants to come back, he's an athlete. But sometimes athletes don't know what is best for them.
Stat Boy: But it was a fluke injury that knocked him out of the lineup, so if he feels he can come back I think it would be best to give him the opportunity to play and finish off what will end up as a great first full season for him. He's a competitor; if he's coming back he's coming back strong.
Frederick from Frederick: But I would hate to see him come back too soon (kind of like Adam Loewen did) and have a lingering injury that could hinder him throughout the rest of his career.
Stat Boy: I'm not sure how much of a lingering injury can come from a broken foot though. A break will heal; it's not like he's got a strained hamstring or a sore arm or whatever.
Frederick from Frederick: Come on Stat Boy, he had a good first season with us; he has nothing else to prove right now. Shut him down the rest of the season, work with him in the off season, and make sure he's 100% for 2009.
Stat Boy: I just see no possible way for him to create a lingering problem out of coming back too early from a broken foot. I think the worst case scenario here is that if he comes back for a few games and feels some discomfort, then they can just shut him down again. It's September, so he's not taking up anyone's roster spot.
Frederick from Frederick: I know it's September and the roster will expand so he won't be taking a roster spot. But what is a roster spot if you don't get into the game. If he comes back, he'll be taking away chances from a Lou Montanez or a Nolan Reimold to get out there and play.
Stat Boy: First off, I have my doubts that Nolan Reimold is even going to get a September callup since he's not on the 40-man roster. But I do agree with you that Lou Montanez should be getting playing time. Here's my radical idea: take at-bats away from Payton and Millar. These guys are veterans and should realize they're on a rebuilding team. The Orioles would benefit more from using Montanez, Jones, and Markakis in the OF with Luke Scott as the DH.
Frederick from Frederick: But why take bats away from healthy veterans who deserve their playing time as well. Jones is injured, why take a chance upsetting a very good clubhouse setting by taking away playing time from Payton and Millar?
Stat Boy: Who cares? Both of them are free agents at the end of the season. Jones' playing time can come at their expense. They have no future here.
Frederick from Frederick: Look, we know what Bubble Gum Jones brings to the table, and we know he'll be healthy for next season; so why don't we let some young guys who have proven they deserve a chance to get just that.
Well, what do you think? Who do you side with? Do you want to see Adam Jones blowing his bubble gum in center field again this season? Or do you want the O's to play it safe, and wait it out until next year? Let us know what you think using the comment box below.
Stat Boy
Frederick from Frederick (Fred Genau III)
 |
Categories (click for archive)Cheap Seats Orioles | MASNblogs |
I have to side with Stat Boy. Jones is extremely young and his body should be able to heal rather quickly. More importantly, I completely trust Richie Bancells and the medical staff. There's no way Jones is even sniffing the field unless he's healthy enough to go. And just for fun to further feed the hype machine:
Adam Jones (2008: 108 games & 398 AB's: .279 AVG, 7 HR's, 50 RBI's)
Torri Hunter (1999: 135 games & 384 AB's: .255 AVG, 9 HR's, 35 RBI's)
I'm in between... if Jones is truely healthy I would love to see him out there gaining experience this year, but then again I wanna see Montanez and (hopefully) Reimold get a shot to prove what they can do. If the O's are indeed rebuilding then the organization needs time to evaluate what they have to build upon. I'd much rather see young guys out there with a chance to make an impression and gain experience rather than Payton, Scott, Millar, etc (regardless of their production this season) playing in order to win a few meaningless games in September. If Jones is fully recovered let him play, along with whoever else is deemed as the future of the organization.