Prospect Spotlight: Austin Jackson

By
Josh Culp
 – February 12, 2010

Austin Jackson Detroit Tigers

Austin Jackson was the #27th ranked prospect by MLB.com, and the #46 prospect by Baseball Prospectus. These rankings were way back when Jackson was a New York Yankee. However, this off-season Jackson was involved in the Curtis Granderson trade, sending him to Detroit. Other than his lack of power, Jackson had a pretty good 2009 season for AAA Scranton.

Now that Jackson is a Detroit Tiger, will his “elite” prospect status be “whited-out”. Is Austin Jackson still an elite prospect?

  • Power. Power isn’t Jackson’s greatest asset, but he can occasionally pop one over of the fence. In his prime, 20 Home Runs will probably be Jackson’s Home Run ceiling.
    Grade: C-

  • Contact. For a hitter lacking power, you would expect Jackson to make it up with his approach at the plate, nope. Jackson’s 0.43 BB/K ratio indicates Jackson still has a lot of work to do before making an impact.
    Grade: C-

  • Speed. Finally something Jackson can do well. Jackson is fast, and also smart on the bases. If his hitting doesn’t transfer over to the Major League level then he could certainly be useful as a pinch runner/defensive specialist.
    Grade: A

  • Approach. Jackson’s swing is far from being major league ready. However, Jackson has been given the task of replacing Curtis Granderson’s bat in Detroit. Jackson should provide a lot of the flash that Granderson had, but the power just won’t be there.
    Grade: C

  • Opportunity. After being traded to the Tigers in the Granderson trade, the Tigers have two Outfield positions open. There is a lot of talk about Johnny Damon signing with Detroit which would still leave a lot of at-bats for Jackson. Jackson should provide value defensively, and also be a spark plug on the base paths. This should mean a likely 300-400 Plate Appearances for Jackson in 2010.
    Grade: B+

  • Hype. Jackson has been touted by Baseball America since he was 12 years old. As a Yankee, Jackson recieved a lot of media attention. Now as a Tiger, I think people will start to realize he is good but was slightly overrated.
    Grade: B

  • Intangibles. Unbelievably athletic. He was actually a highly ranked basketball prospect, and committed to Georgia Tech before signing with the Yankees. There are also no injuries holding him back.
    Grade: A

Overall Fantasy Prospect Rating: 52 out of 80

My Thoughts: Austin Jackson has a lot of fan appeal, and may show up on Baseball Tonight frequently for defensive plays. However, I would recommend avoiding him this year in fantasy leagues unless you play in a deep league (14 or more teams). If he earns the #1 or #2 spot in the batting order then he may be worth a flier for his stolen bases alone, but he won’t help much elsewhere.

Comparable Players: Choo Freeman, Franklin Gutierrez, Lastings Milledge

ETA: 2010

2010 Projections:

380 PA – 56 R – 9 HR – 42 RBI – 21 SB – .257 AVG