SARASOTA, Fla. -- Adam Jones retired as an Oriole, signing a one-day ceremonial contract on Sept. 15, 2023. The former center fielder has since returned to the Orioles’ organization, hired as a special advisor to general manager Mike Elias and a community ambassador on Jan. 27.

Now, it’s time for Jones -- one of the most popular and influential figures in franchise history -- to take his rightful place in the Orioles Hall of Fame.

The O’s announced their Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 on Thursday, with Jones, former outfielder Joe Orsulak and longtime broadcaster Tom Davis (the Herb Armstrong Award winner) set to be inducted later this year. The honorees will be recognized at a luncheon hosted by the Oriole Advocates at Camden Yards on Aug. 8, then will be inducted during an on-field ceremony prior to the Aug. 9 game vs. the A’s.

“Pretty humbling. Pretty cool,” the 39-year-old Jones said. “I mean, it’s pretty badass to be in a professional organization’s Hall of Fame, one that has such prestige as the Orioles does.”

Orsulak had a solid five-year run in Baltimore from 1988-92. Davis was involved with O’s broadcasts for three decades and is a five-time Maryland Sportscaster of the Year winner.

Meanwhile, Jones’ numbers speak for themselves. He spent 11 of his 14 MLB seasons with the Orioles, becoming an all-time franchise great from 2008-18. The San Diego native ranks among the O’s all-time leaders in hits (1,781, fourth), home runs (263, fifth), RBIs (866, fifth), runs (875, fifth), doubles (305, seventh) and games played (1,613, eighth).

A four-time Gold Glover and a one-time Silver Slugger, Jones is also one of only six Orioles to earn five or more All-Star selections, along with Cal Ripken Jr. (19), Brooks Robinson (15), Eddie Murray (seven), Jim Palmer (six) and Mike Mussina (five) -- five Baseball Hall of Famers.

Jones arrived in Baltimore in 2008, one of four players acquired from Seattle in the Erik Bedard trade (along with Chris Tillman, Tony Butler, George Sherrill and Kam Mickolio).

“They gave me a chance. They traded for me,” Jones said. “[Former manager] Dave Trembley told me [on] day two, ‘This is your job to lose.’ And it took 10 years and 4 months to move out of center field. So it was an absolute blessing. Taking advantage of an opportunity, and I was able to represent, between those lines, a hell of a city.”

During his decade-plus with the O’s, Jones made as much of an impact on the city of Baltimore as he did on the Orioles’ franchise.

Jones was a three-time Roberto Clemente Award nominee and a six-time Heart and Hustle Award nominee. He ingrained himself in the Baltimore community, and he continues to participate in several club-sponsored community service projects, often with young kids.

“I didn’t do that for myself, I did it because it was an obligation I have to the community, especially Baltimore,” Jones said. “Let’s be honest, it’s an African American city, and being one of the few representatives in baseball on the African American side, having representation was always important. And I wanted to show those kids not just, ‘Here’s a donation,’ but no, ‘Here’s me. I’m here. Let’s hang out. Let’s talk. Let’s play some baseball. Let’s play some video games.’

“Show them that you’re human, we’re here for them, and we just want to give them resources. That’s all I wanted to do. I don’t want the attention for it.”

The Orioles had zero postseason appearances from 1998-2011. Jones was part of a core that helped get Baltimore back into October, as the O’s won more games than any other American League team from ‘12-16, getting into the playoffs three times during that span.

Jones has so many fond memories from his career that it’s hard for him to pick only one. But among those that stood out in his mind on Thursday was the 2014 AL East clinching celebration, which spilled onto the field and was held in front of the fans at Camden Yards.

The most memorable moment of that Sept. 16 night was when Jones hit fellow outfielder Nick Markakis in the face with a pie. Jones often pied teammates in the face during on-field interviews after wins throughout his career, but he was never allowed to hit Markakis or J.J. Hardy, two of the veterans on the team.

After winning the AL East title, Markakis finally let Jones do it.

“Very special,” Jones recalled.

Hardy (2021) and Markakis (‘24) are already Orioles Hall of Famers. And Jones likely won’t be the last from that era to be inducted, as players such as Chris Davis, Matt Wieters, Zack Britton, Darren O’Day and Jim Johnson -- as well as former manager Buck Showalter and former GM Dan Duquette -- are among those with strong cases for future inclusion.

“There’s going to be more. I don’t think it stops with me, and I don’t think my generation of teams stops with them,” Jones said. “I think there are a couple of other guys who should have a good chance to get in it and be celebrated.”