Adam Jones wants to make it perfectly clear.
“My expectations are a lot higher than everyone else?s,” he said. “If I can meet the fans? expectations, that?s a plus. If I can meet my own, that?s even better. I?m just trying to be a piece of the puzzle, helping out.”
The deal that sent Seattle?s Jones, left-handed reliever George Sherrill and three minor league pitchers ? Chris Tillman, Kam Mickolio and Tony Butler ? to the Orioles for Erik Bedard is expected to turn the Mariners into a contender in the American League West Division.
But high hopes also have been placed on Jones and Sherrill, who are expected to play a major role with the Orioles as the team tries to halt a string of 10 straight losing seasons. Jones, 22, is expected to play center field alongside Nick Markakis, 23, in right field. Luke Scott, who was acquired from Houston in the deal for Miguel Tejada, is expected to start in left field.
Markakis, who was voted by the Baltimore media as the team?s Most Valuable Player last season after batting .300 with 23 home runs and 112 runs batted-in, started alongside Jones with the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League in 2005.
“The last few years in the bigs, he?s terrorized the league,” Jones said of Markakis. “He did the same to us [in Seattle]. It?s going to be very, very exciting to have the opportunity to play with him. I?m really honored to even play with him and don the Orioles uniform.”
Sherrill, 30, has more mileage behind him. He spent five seasons in independent leagues before Seattle signed him in 2003. He debuted with the Mariners in 2004 and has been a fixture in the Mariners? bullpen the past two seasons, pitching in 72 games in 2006 and 73 in last year.
Tillman, Mickolio and Butler likely are all at least two years away from being promoted to the major leagues.
Sherrill, who recorded just four saves with the Mariners, likely will contend to be the Orioles? closer, which was vacated by Chris Ray. Ray, 25, will miss this season recovering from major surgery to repair ligaments in his right elbow of his throwing arm on Aug. 17. Ray went 5-6 with 16 saves and a 4.43 earned-run average in 43 appearances last season.
“I?ve been through the rebuilding of the Mariners,” Sherrill said. “I was called up halfway through ?04. We lost 99 games and in ?05 we lost 93 games. It?s tough, but at the same time, I know there?s a lot of young guys and we?re going to take pride in pulling on the same end of the rope and creating something that is ours.”
