Orioles outfielder Adam Jones named 2018 Most Valuable Oriole

The Orioles today announced that outfielder Adam Jones has been voted the winner of the 2018 Louis M. Hatter Most Valuable Oriole Award by members of the local media who cover the team on a regular basis. He will be recognized for his accomplishments in an on-field ceremony prior to Sunday's regular season finale against the Houston Astros.

Jones enters play today hitting .281/.313/.419 (159-for-565) with 33 doubles, 15 home runs, 54 runs scored, and 62 RBI. Jones ranks third among American League outfielders in three+-hit games (17), eighth in multi-hit games (43), tied for eighth in hits (159), and tied for ninth in doubles (33). He recorded 104 hits prior to the All-Star break, his 11th consecutive season with 80-or-more hits prior to the Midsummer Classic, tied for the fourth-longest streak in AL history.

This season, Jones became the first player to make 11-straight Opening Day starts in center field for one team since Ken Griffey, Jr. (1989-99). He hit his 250th career home run as an Oriole on April 3 and currently ranks fifth on the Orioles all-time home run list (since 1954). He became one of 13 players in MLB history, and one of five in AL history, to hit 250 home runs as a center fielder. He played in his 1,500th career game as an Oriole on May 4 at Oakland, becoming the eighth player in Orioles history to play in at least 1,500 games. He recorded his 300th career double as an Oriole on August 11 in game one of the doubleheader, becoming the seventh Oriole to reach this milestone in team history. Jones recorded his 100th career outfield assist on September 22 at New York-AL. His 93 outfield assists as an Oriole are tied for the second-most in team history.

Jones leads the Orioles in batting average (.281), hits (159), doubles (33), RBI (62), and multi-hit games (43). He made his first start, as an Oriole, at a defensive position other than center field (right field) on August 10, and has appeared in 32 combined games in right and left field this season. He was named the Orioles Heart and Hustle Award winner for the sixth time.

The Most Valuable Oriole Award is named in honor of the late Lou Hatter, a former sportswriter for The Baltimore Sun who covered the Orioles for 27 years. Balloting for the Most Valuable Oriole Award is conducted with voting on a 5-3-1 basis. Also receiving votes were Richard Bleier, Dylan Bundy, Andrew Cashner, Alex Cobb, Mychal Givens, Trey Mancini, Cedric Mullins, Mark Trumbo, and Jonathan Villar.