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BALTIMORE -- Adam Jones has returned to the Orioles, who hired the former center fielder as a special advisor to general manager Mike Elias/community ambassador on Monday. And there are plenty of ways the club expects Jones to positively impact the organization.

Jones, who played 14 MLB seasons, can serve as a mentor to young players. He¡¯ll be learning more about the baseball operations department and could eventually give input on the business side of the game. He¡¯ll surely bring high energy and a positive attitude to the role every day.

Another manner in which Jones can help Baltimore? The team¡¯s future pursuit of Japanese players, as he spent two seasons with the Orix Buffaloes of the Japan Pacific League at the end of his playing career (the 2020 and ¡®21 campaigns), so he¡¯s quite familiar with the culture, the names and the style of baseball.

¡°I think Adam¡¯s experience in Japan is going to be an asset for us,¡± Elias said. ¡°We see the growth of Japanese baseball and how it's impacting the Major Leagues, and we want to be a part of that. When you're an East Coast city, it's not the easiest platform to launch from with Japan, but we're going to make a very strong effort to expand our reach into that country, into that league.¡±

Among the Japanese players to come to the United States in recent years have been Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida and Mets righty Kodai Senga. Los Angeles added another high-profile arm from Japan earlier this month, when it signed righty Roki Sasaki.

The Orioles have already explored the Japanese market themselves, having signed right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano to a one-year, $13 million deal for the 2025 season on Dec. 16.

Jones was teammates with both Yamamoto and Yoshida on the Orix Buffaloes. He also has history with Sugano, who represented Japan in the 2017 World Baseball Classic and pitched against Jones¡¯ U.S. team in the States¡¯ 2-1 semifinal win.

¡°When I was over there [in Japan], obviously not playing every day, I got a very good view of everybody and just watching the bodies of work,¡± the 39-year-old Jones said. ¡°I told this to Yamamoto over there, I said, ¡®The difference between Japan and America is two to three guys per lineup are trying to take you deep in Japan; in America, all nine. ... So keep the ball down, use your defense, and you'll have a successful season.¡¯¡±

Can the 35-year-old Sugano -- among the best pitchers in Japan Central League history -- produce strong results for Baltimore after pitching the past 12 seasons in his native Japan? The O¡¯s are optimistic, and Jones -- who ¡°signed off¡± on the Sugano signing, according to Elias -- believes so as well.

After all, Sugano¡¯s numbers in Japanese ball speak for themselves. He was a two-time winner of the Sawamura Award -- Japan¡¯s version of the Cy Young -- a three-time Central League MVP and an eight-time All-Star. He had a career 2.45 ERA in 281 games, and he finished the 2024 season with a 1.67 ERA in 156 2/3 innings over 24 starts.

¡°Sugano, obviously, is a hell of a competitor,¡± Jones said. ¡°I know that he has the right stuff to pitch.¡±

So do a lot of other Japanese pitchers, more of whom could come to Baltimore in the future, if the Orioles¡¯ plans to expand their international efforts continue to bear fruit. Having Jones in the fold should only help moving forward.

¡°I think Adam, his experience there, is going to be helpful,¡± Elias said, ¡°and we're planning to tap into it.¡±