In a pregame presentation this evening, Orioles' outfielder Adam Jones will receive the prestigious Players Choice Award as 2015 Marvin Miller Man of the Year. Jones' teammate and Orioles player representative Darren O'Day will make the presentation.
Jones was selected via a secret ballot of all major leaguers. The award is named in honor of the Major League Baseball Players Association's first executive director and is given annually to the player who inspires others through his on-field performances and contributions to his community. The honor was announced in November.
"It's a good honor to have your peers see that you like to do good things in the community," Jones said this afternoon. "You have the organization behind you. You get rewarded for trying to make an impact."
In 2015, Jones co-hosted a clinic for inner-city youth in West Baltimore following the unrest the city experienced in the spring. He also participated in events to benefit the YMCA of Central Maryland, the Boys and Girls Club of Baltimore and Reviving Baseball in the Inner Cities.
Jones doesn't list any one of those as his favorite.
"They are all the same. When you help, you help. As long as the intent is there," he said.
The MLB Players Trust will provide grants totaling $50,000 to charitable causes personally selected by Jones. The Boys & Girls Club of Encanto, in Jones' hometown of San Diego, receives a $45,000 grant from the Players Trust, while the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association receives a $5,000 grant.
Meanwhile, Jones is still trying to get his bat going this season. It is quite a different April for him than last year, when he batted .400 with five homers and 19 RBIs. Now he is hitting .217 with one homer and six RBIs.
He went 2-for-4 with an RBI double last night and batted fifth for the first time this year. He will hit fifth again tonight and has also batted second, third and fourth.
Does Jones feel his bat coming around?
"You grind out and you play the game things happen. You live with the results," he said.
Manager Buck Showalter said he sees Jones' bat coming around and where he bats him in the lineup doesn't have anything to do with it.
"Our guys don't pay attention to it," Showalter said."Maybe I'm being naive. I thought Adam had some real control. He had some good at-bats in Tampa, too. One night, he hit four balls right on the button. I like him anywhere (in the lineup). We have a lot of versatility with our guys."
As for the team and its first-place standing, Jones said so far, so good.
"We have a really good team with a good group of guys," he said. "We are going to face some ups and downs like every other team. It's April. We'll see how we continue to play throughout the season."
By accepting you will be accessing a service provided by a third-party external to https://www.masnsports.com/