Jones poised for breakout season
Watch Adam Jones early on this season. He looks really good at the plate.
His maturation as a hitter from last season to this season is clear. The young centerfielder could be very exciting to watch in 2009.
Jones says the biggest difference is he's using his eyes and hands more to drive the ball, rather than being pull happy. Hitting Coach Terry Crowley told Jones to trust the strength he gained this offseason--especially in his legs.
It's the 'try less' philosophy and it's working. Jones leaves spring training with a .368 average and three home runs.
The second-year Oriole says the twenty pounds of muscle he put on this winter gives him confidence. He doesn't have to try and crush the ball like he did when he was coming up with the Mariners.
Jones knows his arms are powerful, so he can be effective with a smooth stroke.
Also, he has better discipline when it comes to laying off big league breaking balls. That was an area Jones struggled with in 2008.
The twenty-three year old told me he's very aware of the point he's at in his career and is focused on taking his game to the next level.
Jones said for the first time since being drafted he feels the label 'prospect' is completely shed. That means it's time to step up with the big boys, and establish himself as a player that could become a superstar.
It appears Jones is mentally and physically poised for that challenge.
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Categories (click for archive)Amber Theoharis | MASNblogs |
i saw adam's homerun against the mets the other day---WOW...that was crushed effortlessly. It's clear he got a lot stronger from what I saw. I can't wait to watch this guy play at the yard..AHHH ONLY 3 DAYS!
Amber,
I'm expecting big things from Adam Jones this season. He's a five-tool player, and with the twenty pounds of added muscle and a full year of experience under his belt, the sky's the limit for him. It wouldn't suprise me if he is the team's MVP in 2009. He, along with Nick in right, might be one of the best outfield combinations in baseball. And if they can get a positive contribution from Pie in left, they have the potential to be the best all-around outfield in the Major Leagues.
I think Jones is the most over rated player in the game today.If you throw him a fastball down the middle he'll burn you but of course he isn't going to see many of those.Jones just had too many fundemental flaws at the plate to be a productive hitter.He has 3 homers in the spring and only 5 RBIs. Justin Turner who left camp two weeks ago had 10.Jones has poor pitch recognition out of the pitcher's hand and his bat is slow through the zone because of it.
They are batting him second so he'll see more fastballs hitting behind Nick,the problem is he'll still chase bad pitches.He's going to see an assortment of off speed junk.If you go back and look at Jones's splits last year he really didn't hit that much to LF which I think proves his lack of bat speed.He really doesn't have that much power to RF and that's why he didn't hit many homers.I mean I'm not rooting against the guy,I'm just looking at the science not the hype.He only had 10 extra base hits in the 2nd half last year.I know he was injured a while,but still.I'd rather see Izturis batting second. His OBP isn't that great but he'll know how to protect Roberts when he's on.
After a day like today.... the least one could say is he's going to have a breakout season! What a game.