Next time you see Adam Jones swinging at the first pitch, don’t get frustrated.  This year Jones is hitting .385 with a double, two home runs and four RBI on the first pitch.  He has 12 total bases and 14 plate appearances in which he’s taken a hack at the first pitch.

A number of fans and talking heads have discussed moving Jones in the lineup to spark the Orioles offense.  Despite a walkoff win in the 13th inning on Tuesday night, the Orioles are still in need of some more pop and many have suggested moving Adam Jones to second in the lineup.

This season Jones has played six games at the 5th spot and 27 games as the 6th.  His average is .134 points higher in the 6th spot (.284) than it is at the 5th (.150).  Jones has 16 runs scored at 6th compared to just one at the fifth.  Four home runs at 6th, one at 5th and 15 RBI at 6th and 4 at 5th.  The most telling statistic has to be on base percentage, .327 at 6th compared to .190 at 5th.

Split G GS PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG
Batting 5th 6 5 21 20 1 3 0 0 1 4 0 0 1 5 .150 .190 .300
Batting 6th 27 27 113 102 16 29 5 0 4 15 4 0 7 18 .284 .327 .451
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/11/2011.

Those wishing to see Adam Jones move to second must be using his statistics from 2009, Jones’ All-Star season in which he played 81 games at that second spot.  Jones hit .305, with 19 doubles, 3 triples, 15 home runs and 54 RBI at second in ’09.

I Split G GS PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP
Batting 1st 28 21 100 94 11 22 4 0 0 2 0 1 5 20 .234 .280
Batting 2nd 124 122 553 508 93 149 22 7 22 77 9 6 29 103 .293 .341
Batting 3rd 49 37 160 149 19 31 4 0 4 15 4 1 9 35 .208 .263
Batting 4th 11 2 11 11 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 .182 .182
Batting 5th 67 61 256 235 27 60 10 2 5 28 1 4 11 50 .255 .306
Batting 6th 85 83 338 308 53 98 16 1 15 50 11 0 20 50 .318 .365
Batting 7th 65 63 249 234 26 53 4 3 4 14 5 2 12 66 .226 .269
Batting 8th 53 47 193 180 23 59 15 3 4 34 3 1 8 37 .328 .359
Batting 9th 24 23 75 73 5 15 4 0 1 6 3 1 2 23 .205 .227
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/11/2011.

For his career, Adam Jones has better numbers hitting 6th (85 games, .318 AVG, 15 HR, 50 RBI) and 8th (53 games, .328 AVG, 4 HR, 34 RBI) than he does batting second (124 games, .293 AVG, 22 HR, 77 RBI).  Longterm, Jones is probably a higher hitter in the lineup than his spot this season.  If the Orioles lineup is clicking, the statistics show that Jones is a forced to be reckoned with deep in the lineup, but a move up could be good for a slumping middle of the order.