Some clubhouse support for Adam Jones MVO award

For the Orioles, the 2012 season has represented such a team effort. So many players making so many key contributions. When it came time for reporters to vote for the Most Valuable Oriole Award, it was not easy to make the choice of that one player that deserved to be atop the ballot. In the end, Adam Jones was a repeat winner of the award. Catcher Matt Wieters, another player who got MVO votes, felt Jones was a solid choice. "I think Adam is a great choice for that award," Wieters said. "He's really carried our offense all year. I think it came down to between Adam and Jim (Johnson) and Adam is in there every day. The effort he gives with the production and the way he's played this year, it was probably a two-horse race for that but Adam was definitely a worthy recipient of the award. "He gets better and better every year. The talent has always been there and each year he gets a little more advanced. The thing about Adam is, he's a baseball player, he's not just an athlete playing baseball. He is someone that really knows the game. That is what is special about him. He has the athletic ability of a freak and when he can put his baseball knowledge to it, he's only going to keep getting better." In this story, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports lists Jones sixth on his personal list for the AL MVP award. Where Jones ranks in some of the AL statistics: Tie for first in games (159) Tie for third in runs (103) Fourth in total bases (325) Fifth in extra-base hits (74) Seventh in hits (184) Tie for eighth in homers (32) Another reason some may have voted Jones first for this award is his leadership qualities. In a clubhouse filled with players who provide strong leadership in various ways, Jones is among the most prominent team leaders. Wieters said Jones leads in various ways. "One, he shows it. He runs balls out harder than anyone on the team," Wieters said. "Two, he's also probably the most vocal leader in the clubhouse. He's the guy where if you need someone to get us fired up, he's the guy the rest of would look to get some energy going and get fired up."