Jones on new role with Orioles: “It’s been a long time coming, and just ecstatic about this opportunity"

The front office vision shared by the newcomers who marched into Camden Yards beginning in the winter of 2018 required them to gaze into the past. To look back while also trying to push a flailing franchise forward.

Adam Jones is serving as an ideal example of this mindset, with the Orioles hiring the five-time All-Star and one of the most popular players in franchise history as special advisor to the general manager and community ambassador.

He’s an Oriole again.

It’s almost like he never left. Or it never left him.

Jones and executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias spent about 32 minutes this morning on a video call with reporters and random media. The moving trucks departed Baltimore earlier today for Sarasota, carrying 320 uniforms, 300 hats, 200 helmets, 10 pitching machines, 800 dozen baseballs and 300 bats, with an arrival scheduled for later this week. Jones will get there from his Barcelona home, working as a guest instructor and getting acclimated to his new job and set of responsibilities.

“Incredibly important member of this organization going back to his playing days,” Elias said. “This is to me a part of us continuing to build out this organization to be a first-rate, first-class organization and a representative of Baltimore in Major League Baseball, and trying to build the organization the right way and bringing in all resources possible in assist in us being a consistently excellent organization. And Adam’s been a big part of a lot of success here. Really, a big part of the prior era of playoff-caliber baseball in Baltimore and is somebody that I’ve gotten to know since being in this job.

“He’s got a great baseball mind and a lot to offer, and I’m looking forward to tapping into him as a new resource for our front office as we just try to grow our capabilities. And it’s something that this new ownership group has really enabled us to pursue. We’re building and expanding our department very quietly and this is a big part of that that’s not so quiet.

“Adam is just a great resource for us, great representative of this franchise and has had so much experience in Major League Baseball and also international baseball for us to draw on. I’m looking forward to working with him even more closely now. He will be in spring training, so we’ll be seeing him soon, and I’m really happy that all of you and all of us will be seeing Adam more around the organization in this new role.”

Jones spent 11 of his 14 seasons with the Orioles after they acquired him and four other players from the Mariners – including pitchers Chris Tillman and George Sherrill – for starter Erik Bedard on Feb. 8, 2008. His last major league season was in 2019 with the Diamondbacks, followed by two years in Japan.

Joining the club’s front office in a meaningful role became a goal for Jones, who joked about it with Elias during his 2023 news conference at Camden Yards to celebrate his retirement and stellar career. He signed a one-day contract. The Orioles made a much bigger commitment to him this week.

“This comes genuine,” he said. “I’ve had obviously an affinity for Orioles baseball. Winning in the AL East has been something that’s permeated through my blood. You know me. You know I love the game, I love being around it, and I think this is a terrific opportunity for me to stop giving my thoughts to the world and just give my thoughts to Mike and the organization. And also on the other side, to continue what I started with the community relations and community work that my wife and I have started over the years. So I think this is a good opportunity collective for us all and I’m just thrilled for this opportunity.

“It’s been a long time coming, and just ecstatic about this opportunity.”

Jones seemingly had prepped for this opportunity without knowing whether it would come to fruition.

“You can see working with the CAP (Commissioner’s Ambassador Program) with Major League Baseball, you know that I love the game,” he said. “We’ve seen each other obviously at the stadium. I obviously have made really good connections throughout the game of baseball with the Diamondbacks, with the Padres, but I look at it that, I’m an Oriole.

“I’m a fan of the Padres, I had a brief cup of coffee over there in Arizona, but I’m an Oriole and I think when this news broke, everybody was just ecstatic. It drew a lot of attention and I think that people really appreciated what I did between the lines, off the field also. 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.”

What else came out of today’s interviews? This is just a sampling, with more to come Wednesday.

Jones isn’t here only to offer baseball tips.

He can do that, of course. He ranks fourth in Orioles history in at-bats and total bases, fifth in runs scored, home runs, RBIs and extra-base hits, seventh in doubles, eighth in hits and total games played, 10th in triples, and tied for 10th in stolen bases. He won four Gold Gloves, three Most Valuable Oriole awards and a Silver Slugger. He also earned six Heart & Hustle Award nominations.

The work in the community is a real separator when comparing Jones to past Orioles stars. He was a three-time Roberto Clemente Award nominee for his work with the local chapter of the Boys and Girls Club, YMCA and Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities Program. He did more than put his signature on checks. He was hands-on. He posted at locations where he could have just sent a representative and his donations.

To follow up, Jones will pass along baseball knowledge but also life lessons.

“Honestly, I think my best attribute is to be a resource,” he said. “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. It’s a little different when you’re in high school, it’s a little different when you’re in college. 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.

“I think at the major league level, I’m not a coach and I don’t ever want to step on any coach's feet, but I think that I can help with certain mentalities, certain verbiages that may be not suitable obviously for normal conversations, but through the baseball channels maybe I can talk to them in a different light. Give them a kick in the pants in a different way.”

This idea wasn’t born overnight.

Elias said the process of getting to know each other and exploring the idea took several years, leading to this week’s announcement.

“He’s been around, but he’s a guy that spends a lot of time abroad, so we haven’t had a ton of time with him,” Elias said. “But for the last couple years after the pandemic we’ve been able to visit a lot more and I think that his particular perspective as an ex-Oriole, a guy who devoted his entire career to the city, his baseball knowledge, it seemed like a really good fit for us right now and this front office and this group of players. So this made sense.”

Former players could become more visible in the organization.

Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. is a minority owner. Jones is on board with his new title. And this feels like just the beginning.

The club hasn’t announced its camp roster, but attached will be some popular guest instructors.

“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 said.

“We’ve also in the last few years have built a guest coaching program in spring training, where we’ve got a ton of great alumni and we’re gonna have a really impressive list this year, too. To come around, get to know our players, have players have the ability to talk to very successful ex-Orioles. And to me, that’s just really important, especially in this franchise with all the history that we have with kind of the special community that we have and the affinity that players have for this place after they’ve played here and been successful here. So I’m looking forward to more of this type of relationship-building with ex-players.

“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.”

Jones embraced his post-playing life, which serves as a nice example and can inspire others who struggle.

It isn’t easy to walk away, but Jones did so with ease after those two years of baseball overseas.

“When I went to Japan, that was really the end of, obviously, my major league career,” he said. That ended, but I think it was the perfect swan song to really go out on. I could just go and explore another country, which, you know me and my personality, I'm gonna involve myself into the community. Those two years in Japan really let me know that, ‘Hey, it's OK. You're human.’ There was no more packing three bags to go on a road trip. It was packing one bag and one pair of shoes, one pair of cleats, two shirts. It wasn't everything. Just my perspective changed. And if you've seen the clubhouses, you've seen how much stuff we take, and it just was a complete change. And it's like, you know what? It was a great run. I'm normal. I'm humbled. And I'm not the spoiled major leaguer.

“I love the game of baseball. I'd still be texting with some of the players, some of the front offices, while I was still over in Japan. So retirement, for me, was not hard. I think, obviously, it's tough on a lot of people, as you’ve seen in recent days. But it's tough on a lot of players. And for me, I was fortunate enough, and obviously, I’ve got two kids and a beautiful wife, seeing the world. So it's filling my time. But I was ready for it. My body told me it was time. So I think when it came for me to retire, I was out and about. I was trying to see every corner of this globe. So I was definitely ready for it.

“I couldn't compete with these 22-year-olds anymore and there was no point in trying. I had my run. Now, it's their turn. Now, it's my turn to give my knowledge, my assistance, in any way, shape or form I can, to these young kids. Sometimes, you’ve got to be constructive criticism with them. Sometimes, you’ve got to pull them down from the mountains. But baseball is a very, very tough sport. I was fortunate enough to play it for so long that I have a lot of knowledge and how to navigate a career. So hopefully, I can just give back. And that's really my whole mission is to give back.”

Jones will tone down his social media presence now that he’s in an executive-type role in the baseball operations department.

No one had more fun playing than Jones. His personality filled up two rooms. He could be outspoken, and oftentimes playful.

He understands that representing the Orioles outside the lines requires some changes. Nothing drastic. Maybe just some tweaking.

One example is that he's no longer hosting a podcast, which he’s passing to former Orioles shortstop Mike Bordick.

“I’ll be available, and again, obviously working with Major League Baseball, I definitely want to represent the brand,” he said. “You see me punctually at these events. I’m not going to try to disrespect the brand, put myself in a bad position, put anybody, put my family in a bad position. Obviously, I can tighten up on certain things.

“Sometimes I do like to have a little fun, but I can definitely tighten up on certain things. But at the end of the day I’m definitely not going to embarrass myself or the organization, so I don’t think we have a problem on that front.”

Living outside the U.S. won’t make Jones less visible.

This isn’t a job that can be done remotely. Jones must be in the community. He must be accessible to players and staff.

Jones understands and explains why his residency isn’t a hindrance.

“We’re going to discuss that, obviously, but the best thing about that is there's planes that go trans-Atlantic. There's planes that go everywhere and, you see me, I'm not afraid to get on a plane,” he said.

“It's easy to be anywhere. I can be in Baltimore tomorrow. I can be anywhere. So when you have a schedule, everything is choreographed, so I think that's just how it works.”

Jones was a convenient resource for the Orioles with pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano and can assist with recruiting in Japan.

They aren't friends, but Jones faced Sugano and was impressed. His opinion mattered.

“He signed off on the signing," Elias said "He's a fan of Sugano. I think he's punched him out at least once that I know of. So he's seen it in person. Look, I think Adam’s experience in Japan is going to be an asset for us. As I mentioned. I think our new ownership group is opening up a lot of possibilities. And we see the growth of Japanese baseball and how it's impacting the major leagues, and we want to be a part of that.

"When you're an East Coast city, it's not the easiest platform to launch from with Japan, but we're going to make a very strong effort to expand our reach into that country, into that league. I'm excited that we were able to recruit Sugano, and I think Adam, his experience there is going to be helpful and we're planning to tap into it.” 

Jones made sure that everyone on the call knew about his successful trip to the plate against Sugano, doing so in the usual humorous manner.

"I remember my first at-bat, I think he got me, struck me out," Jones said. "My second at-bat, I got a knock off him, and I hit it really crisp, too. So people don't want to show that part. But I had good at-bats off of him."