Written by Greg Fertel
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20 February 2008
- Age: 21
- Height: 6?1?
- Weight: 205 lbs
- Position: Center field
- Bats: Right
Scouting Report: The Yankees were scouting Austin Jackson when he was a pre-teen. He's a wonderful all-around athlete. His baseball skills took a little longer to develop than most prospects of his talent, but he's never lacked the tools. Jackson is very fast (not Brett Gardner fast, but faster than your average center fielder), and is progressively getting more efficient on the base paths. He has significant opposite-field power, which should keep his line drive rate and batting average up despite an above-average penchant for the strikeout. He also takes his share of walks and plays strong in center. He's a true 5-tool prospect.
History: Austin Jackson was lured away from a basketball scholarship at Georgia Tech with an 800,000 dollar bonus, setting a record for an 8th round pick. The Yankees would later break that record with
Dellin Betances. He was sent to the Gulf Coast League - where he shined on a team with Jose Tabata and C.J. Henry by hitting .304/.374/.405 with 26 strikeouts and 18 walks in 40 games. A lot of teams would be ecstatic with that kind of performance out of a raw 18 year old, but the Yankees were not. Feeling that he would never hit for significant power the way he was swinging (he was inside-outing the ball like Derek Jeter), they began to adjust it. Jackson played more basketball than baseball in high school, so the Yankees decided to take their malleable material and mold it their way. He spent 2006 struggling with a new swing intended for him to hit for more power, which he did, but at the cost of his contact ability. He hit .260/.340/.346 with 151 strikeouts against 61 walks in 134 games. The Yankees decided to keep him at Charleston for another year.
This Season: The Yankees sent the struggling Jackson back to Charleston. He continued to work on his new swing. 60 games in, the Yankees obviously saw something in his method that didn't become prevalent on the field. He was hitting .260/.336/.374 with 59 strikeouts in 60 games. He walked 24 times and hit 3 home runs and 3 doubles. There weren't many signs toward Jackson vaulting himself to #3 overall. However, I noted in June that we saw streaks where Jackson's K rate was significantly reduced, and that he was due to break out. The Yankees went all in, promoting Austin to Tampa. He rewarded them by starting out hot and not letting up. The final batting line after 69 games was .348/.398/.566, with 48 strikeouts and 22 walks to go along with 10 home runs, 6 triples, and 15 doubles. Projected over 160 games, he hit 23 home runs, 14 triples, and 35 doubles. He also stole 32 bases with 11 caught stealing between the two levels. He finished the season by getting his feet wet in the high minors, going 1 for 3 with 2 walks and a double for Scranton and 5 for 13 with a double for the Thunder in the Eastern League playoffs. Jackson wasn't done yet - he hit .271/.368/.489 in Hawaii with 3 home runs, 5 triples, and 10 doubles in 39 games.
Outlook and Movement: Trenton Thunder fans will get to see Jackson at the start of the season. Considering the Yankee's fairly crowded outfield situation, he probably won't make it to the majors until September. However, if he continues his hot streak and Melky Cabrera does not break out, he could easily displace the young outfielder by the middle of the season. Jackson will also be competing with Brett Gardner, Jose Tabata, and Colin Curtis for spots on the Yankee 40-man in September. Jackson probably has the best combination of experience and talent of the group to make an immediate impact on the majors.
Ranking: I ranked Jackson at #3 while Ashish and Eric had him at #2. I think we all agree: we're looking at a blue chip outfielder. Jackson has a lot of things going for him - he's shown the ability to maintain a high BABIP (due to strong line drive, speed, and opposite field fly ball rates), power, and patience. Those are your three essential skills to become a .315+ hitter without having to slap the ball all the time. I think that Jackson could very well become a .310/.380/.530 hitter in his prime, while playing great defense at the key position. His offensive performances before and after his breakout actually compare favorably to those of Hanley Ramirez.
