Fantasy Baseball: Adam Jones

Adam Jones is a 21 year old (he'll be 22 on August 1) centerfielder in the Mariners organization. Word is he's coming to the bigs, and you may want to pick him up in a deep fantasy baseball league.

The Mariners selected Jones in the first round of the 2003 draft out of high school as a shortstop. He moved to centerfield last year.

This season at AAA Tacoma, Jones hit .309/.377/.585 in 340 AB. 21 2B, 5 3B, 21 HR, 28 BB and 86 SO. The high whiff rate might mess up his immediate results in the majors. Only 5 stolen bases and 6 caught stealing.

In 2006, Jones hit .287/.345/.484 for AAA Tacoma. 380 AB, 19 2B, 16 HR, 13 SB, 28 BB and 78 SO. The walks and strikeout totals weren't good, but not awful considering his age.

Adam Jones is a very young player with power. Definitely someone to pick up in a deep keeper fantasy baseball league, but don't expect too much right away. His age and the whiffs might mean he'll struggle for a year or two. Or he might not. It's a gamble.