masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgIn what was a very close vote, Adam Jones edged out J.J. Hardy for this year’s Most Valuable Oriole award.

The Orioles don’t release the voting results, but it appears that Jones won by one single vote over Hardy. The Orioles shortstop had not yet heard he had finished second and was informed by reporters when the clubhouse opened to the media today.

“I haven’t heard about it until now,” Hardy said. “He’s (Jones) very deserving. He’s played, pretty much the whole year and I missed…In what was a very close vote, Adam Jones edged out J.J. Hardy for this year’s Most Valuable Oriole award.

The Orioles don’t release the voting results, but it appears that Jones won by one single vote over Hardy. The Orioles shortstop had not yet heard he had finished second and was informed by reporters when the clubhouse opened to the media today.

“I haven’t heard about it until now,” Hardy said. “He’s (Jones) very deserving. He’s played, pretty much the whole year and I missed that month early. It’s nice that it was a close vote, I guess.

“It feels good. When I got hurt there was a little of ‘here we go again.’ To come back and do what I’ve done basically for five months, it’s a good feeling,” Hardy said.

Hardy is batting .267 with a career-high 29 homers and 78 RBIs. He has 16 homers since the All-Star break and his 27 homers since June 1st is fourth in the majors behind only Mark Reynolds, Dan Uggla and Albert Pujols. Just where does all that power come from for Hardy?

“I feel like just squaring up the ball and hitting it on the barrel (is the key). Plus I hit it to the shortest part of the ballpark. That was the biggest thing for me,” Hardy joked. “Really, it’s just a matter of squaring the ball up and letting the pitcher’s velocity do most of the work for you,” he said.

So Hardy just missed out on the MVO and he’s okay with that. But he said, there is one award he’d really like to get.

“The gold glove would be unbelievable for me. It’s something I’ve always wanted. If it happens, that’d be great. That would probably be my biggest achievement in major league baseball,” he said.