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Kepner Profiles Jackson

Tyler Kepner of the Times does a nice profile on Yankee super-prospect Austin Jackson.  A tidbit:

"There’s nothing about Austin — defense, arm, base running, nothing — that gives me any doubts that he’s going to be a good player one day," said the Class AAA hitting coach Butch Wynegar. "I just hope nothing happens at the big-league level where they yank him out of here premature. I’d love to see him stay here all year, see what kind of year he has and go from there. Because he’s not there yet."

The rest of the piece seems to be a knock on the Yanks' proclivity of drafting two sport stars - CJ Henry and Drew Henson - and having them leave baseball to focus on their other sport.  Jackson was offered scholarships to play basketball, notably at Georgia Tech, who offered him the opportunity to be a two sport star ... and he's a pretty good basketball player:

"He’s an unbelievable athlete," said the YankeesBrett Tomko, who started the season with Scranton. "They went to work out at a basketball gym on the road, and supposedly, he put on a clinic, reverse dunks and everything."

Rest easy, folks ... Austin Jackson's a baseball player ...

In fact, Jackson’s first love is baseball. He wears No. 24 because his favorite player as a kid was Ken Griffey Jr. He took swing after swing, day and night, in a lighted batting cage his father, Albert, built when he was 12 ... 

Jackson still lives at his parents' home in Denton, Texas, in the off-seasons; and his father seems tickled by the baseball education his son has received the last few years.  His knowledge of his favorite game has grown every year.  

"When he comes home now, he talks all about baseball," Albert Jackson said. "He can sit down and watch it, tell me about pitches.  It's little things, like how to read the pitcher.  He's become a good student of the game."

Now of course, Mr. Jackson needs to learn to cut down on the strikeouts and how to hit for power.  Here's his line through 47 games at Scranton:

Team League AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG OPS
SWB INT .349 47 175 27 61 10 3 0 23 77 20 49 11 0 .425 .440 .865

I think the Yanks are doing the best thing for him right now ... leaving him in Scranton to learn, call him up in September, and then give him a shot at a starting job in NY next spring.  That fact that his OBP is .425, thanks to his 20 BB's in less then 200 AB's somewhat mitigates my concern over his K's.  That's nearly a K every three AB's. That number has to go down, and I think it will as he gets even more comfortable at the plate.  

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He's too young to start

over Melky or Gardner. I think he has more potential than those guys. Jackson probably isn’t a middle of the order guy, tho he is not nearly developed yet, and hits plenty of doubles that with a few boxes of Wheaties could end up in the seats.

Only thing that calls him up this season is either another long term injury now, or most likely a September cup of coffee.

by FreeBradshaw on Jun 2, 2009 10:28 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Right now ... I'd agree

that AJax isn’t a middle of the order guy. But he did hit 11 HR’s last year. And power is usually the last thing to come. Donnie Baseball only hit 4 his first season – ’83 (91 games) before hitting 23 in ’84.

by .ryan on Jun 2, 2009 10:50 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Ajax

looks like the future #2 batter. hits to the opposite field, runs well, steals bases – but the Ks are a concern.

by Travis G on Jun 2, 2009 10:44 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I'm just excited to be talking about actual position player prospects for the yanks, again.

Man, Jackson does sound exciting…but we’re good with melky and gardner this year…we can still win this thing

I don't want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it. ~Rogers Hornsby

by kdog on Jun 2, 2009 11:29 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

AJ

The big club will likely call up Shelley Duncan. Shelley’s batting .307 as of last night. Austin is 6’1" and under 215, so he’s fast, and batting @.345. Can he field in the bigs? Brett Gardner can. A year of finishing and AJ’d be ready. Q. Is he a defensive standout?

the Yankee outfield, in terms of defensive ability, not ML experience, as of this September

Melky/Duncan/Swisher RF
Brett/Melky CF
Damon/Jackson LF

ejs

by ericjs on Jun 3, 2009 2:29 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

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