With Adam Jones in center field, it’s obvious that the Orioles hope they won’t need anyone from the minor leagues to fill that position for a long time. The 23-year-old center fielder batted .270 with nine home runs and 57 RBIs in his first full season in the major leagues. He had 21 doubles, seven triples and 61 runs scored in 131 games.

The offensive numbers were solid, but his defensive ability adds another element to his overall game. Jones finished the season with a .991 fielding percentage. He had four outfield assists and only made three errors in 2008.

You’ve seen his talent for tracking the baseball in center field if you watched the Orioles this season. Jones didn’t always throw to the proper place from the outfield this year – hit your cutoff man, Adam! – but that should improve with more experience.

It’s clear that Jones has a lot of physical talent, but his best characteristic has nothing to do with his ability. His willingness to learn and calm demeanor, in my opinion, will allow the center fielder to continue to improve. That’s definitely encouraging for a team that needs help finding as many positive signs as possible.

I know O’s on Deck is supposed to be about minor league baseball, so that’s enough about the center fielder who is already in the major leagues.

Basically, my point is that it’s not as important that the Orioles have promising prospects at this position since they already have a talented young center fielder. The good news, however, is that there were two center fielders in the Orioles’ minor league system who showed that they could play a role in the major leagues someday.

Matt Angle, who was selected by the Orioles in the seventh round of the 2007 draft, batted .287 with 22 doubles, four home runs and 35 RBIs in 126 games for the Delmarva Shorebirds. He finished sixth in the South Atlantic League with 37 stolen bases and eighth in the league with 82 runs scored.

The Orioles drafted Xavier Avery out of high school with their second-round pick this year. The 18-year-old center fielder made an impressive professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Orioles. He batted .280 with 13 stolen bases and 27 runs scored in 47 games this season.

Based on this season’s statistics, I’d rank the center fielders in the organization in this order:

1. Matt Angle
2. Xavier Avery
3. Jeff Fiorentino
4. Danny Figueroa
5. Kraig Binick

Kyle Hudson, who was the Orioles’ fourth-round selection in this year’s draft, would likely be on this list if he didn’t miss most of the season with a broken hand. The 21-year-old center fielder was 8-for-37 (.216) with four stolen bases in 11 games for the Aberdeen IronBirds before he was injured.

An interesting tidbit about Hudson is that he played three years at wide receiver for the University of Illinois. Hudson batted .398 with 40 stolen bases in 53 games for the baseball team during his junior season in the spring.

Angle hit .301 with 60 runs scored and 34 stolen bases in 66 games for the IronBirds last season. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound center fielder is extremely quick and makes solid contact. Angle could have a future in the major leagues if he’s able to continue to his steady progression through the minors.

As I stated earlier, Avery had solid numbers in his first professional season. The biggest flaw is that he had 51 strikeouts and only walked 10 times. It’s not something to cause tremendous alarm, however, because he’s still young and inexperienced. Let’s stick with the positives for now and re-evaluate his status after he plays more games in the minor leagues.

Fiorentino had an eventful season of professional baseball in 2008. The Cincinnati Reds claimed the 25-year-old outfielder from the Orioles on Jan. 4 and the Oakland Athletics grabbed him off waivers from the Reds on Jan. 25. He appeared in two games for the Athletics against the Boston Red Sox in Japan.

The Orioles claimed Fiorentino off waivers from the Athletics on June 5 and he appeared in 68 games for the Norfolk Tides. He’s no longer a prospect, but Fiorentino batted .268 with 12 doubles, two home runs and 25 RBIs in 68 games for the Tides in 2008. It didn’t help Fiorentino, in my opinion, that the Orioles rushed him to the major leagues in 2005. Hopefully they’ve learned a valuable lesson and will use caution in promoting their prospects in the future.

Figueroa only batted .239 in 104 games for the Frederick Keys, but he’s on this list because of his speed. The 25-year-old outfielder finished tied for third in the Carolina League with 33 stolen bases this season. He also scored 66 runs and committed only three errors for Frederick.

Binick batted .253 with 23 runs scored and 22 RBIs in 39 games for the IronBirds. He also played well defensively, which earned him the final spot in my list.