Mancini on Jones: "That only comes around once in a blue moon"

The sixth and final doubleheader of the 2018 season will be played today, giving fans perhaps twice as many chances to cheer Adam Jones before he hits free agency.

Jones could start in right field and later serve as designated hitter. He also could sit out one of the games, his presence in the lineup a certainty on Sunday.

Teammates tend to fumble for words while expressing what Jones has meant to the organization and especially within the community. A simple question can tie them up like a sharp breaking ball.

"I don't know if you can really put it into words," said Trey Mancini.

He's not getting out of it that easily.

"I feel like that only comes around once in a blue moon," he continued. "I think Cal Ripken comes to mind, and I think Jones is right there as far as what he means to the city and the organization."

How's that for putting it into perspective? Adam Jones and baseball's Iron Man. Adam Jones and a Hall of Famer who might be the most popular Oriole in history who didn't wear No. 5.

"He's been here since 2008," Mancini said. "That's a long time. I was a sophomore in high school that year. That just goes to show how long he's been playing here. I never really played varsity baseball before Adam Jones was playing in Baltimore, so it's pretty cool that he's been playing for one team that long.

"I think it's hard to really put into words what he means to the community here, too. You can see it. Everybody loves him. You hear it every game. The fans, he just means so much to them, and it's really cool to see. And it's been a privilege to be around him and play with him."

The Orioles aren't expected to make an attempt to re-sign Jones as they vow to get younger and cut payroll. They had opportunities to trade him this summer to the Phillies and Yankees. He remained with the club to finish out what he started in 2008.

"He's definitely the leader of the team," said Mike Wright Jr. "He does it by example. And not just on the team but in the community. All the stuff he's done around the city and how the city's accepted him. Just all the things that he makes better around him is second to none."

"He's as consistent as you're going to get every day," said catcher Caleb Joseph, Jones' teammate in Baltimore since 2014. "He's been kind of a guy you want to build the franchise around, and they've done that. And he's a great teammate, a great guy. A great husband, a great dad.

"It's odd to think that this could potentially be the last time we play with each other. I've known Adam for about a decade now, and he's taken good care of me. It's odd to think about him not being around. He's kind of been the heart and soul of this team, a huge player in the community. He does a lot for a lot of folks around here, and a lot of kids and a lot of the youth around here.

"He's exactly the kind of guy you want in the clubhouse and in the community and on your team, and to think this could be the end is sad, really."

(You can view Joseph's interview as part of a larger piece on Jones today on facebook.com/masnOrioles and @masnOrioles)

A period of adjustment came with the departures of Nick Markakis, Matt Wieters and J.J. Hardy. Something just didn't feel right. Removing Manny Machado, Zach Britton, Jonathan Schoop, Brad Brach and Darren O'Day earlier this summer had a similar effect.

Adam Jones no longer seated at his customary locker in the far corner of the spring training clubhouse? It's hard to fathom after so many years, and how his personality could fill the room.

"It would be really weird," Mancini said. "It's all I've known since I've been drafted. Adam's been the cornerstone guy here, and if he weren't going to be here next year it would be really strange to not see him at Ed Smith.

"I think that's when it would hit some people, is whenever you get to spring training."

"Yeah, it'll definitely be different," Wright said, "but this clubhouse already is very different from the beginning of the year, so it'll kind of feel like it does now, I guess. Just weird."

Finding a veteran leader with Jones' resume is an impossible task. The clubhouse can't supply one. There are players with tenure and strong opinions, but you don't easily slip someone inside Jones' shoes.

"There are a lot of people gone. It's a new team," Mancini said. "I don't know if there's, like, a guy, but we've got a whole lot of guys who still have a lot of major league service time and know how a clubhouse should be run.

"I don't think there's too much of a concern about that. I think a lot of guys will step up and try to fill that role."