Austin Jackson was never meant to hit .242 with the San Francisco Giants. With his speed and athletic build, the confines of AT&T Park seemed like they would be heaven for the two time American Lead triples leader. Instead, he struggled mightily with the Giants, swinging a .242 average with none of the triples or spectacular defense that he was known for. How is it possible that a player like Jackson, who hit .318 in the prior season with the Cleveland Indians, could have such a significant drop off in production? The Giants decided that he needed a change of scenery, and after being traded to the Texas Rangers, was released and became a free agent on July 14th.
With seemingly nowhere to go and his career hanging in the balance, Jackson was picked up by the Mets on July 27th, a move that helped to solidify outfield depth on a team going nowhere fast. With Jay Bruce, Juan Lagares, and Yoenis Cespedes on the mend long term with injuries, the Mets needed to add depth with a veteran outfielder to help compliment the likes of Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto, and fellow veteran Jose Bautista. Initially seen as a guy that was picked up just to give one of the other outfielders a day off, Jackson has been a pleasant surprise for both the Mets, and himself.
With the Mets, Jackson has slugged a scintillating .438 batting average. At age 31, it may be more beneficial to Jackson’s future than to the success of the Mets at this point in the season. Acquired by the Detroit Tigers in 2009 from the New York Yankees in exchange for Curtis Granderson, Jackson was a highly sought-after prospect. He was so highly thought of by the Yankees when the drafted him in 2008, they gave him an $800,000 dollar signing bonus to prevent him from attending Georgia Tech to play baseball and basketball. With Detroit, Jackson was an integral part of a team that went to multiple post seasons due to MVP Seasons from Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander, but were never able to capture the elusive World Series trophy.
After his glory days as a Tiger came to an end, Jackson spent several seasons bouncing around the American League. Eventually he found himself on the Mets, where he is the only true center fielder on a team that is fighting to stay out of the basement of the National League East. The center field has been manned by Nimmo and Conforto, and while it seems that they put up their best efforts, they simply aren’t center fielders. Jackson will plug the hole in the middle of those two corner fielders, providing stable defense where it hasn’t been for a large majority of the season.
This new relationship between the Mets and Jackson is perfect for both sides. The Mets get a veteran outfielder that will hopefully be a positive influence on Conforto and Nimmo, while Jackson gets another shot to prove himself at the major league level in a no pressure environment. While he won’t hit .400 forever, he certainly will be a positive pick up for the team moving forward.
For those who wanted to sign Jackson this off-season, my comment is that He’s a Lagares Clone with the alomost forgotten Imprimatur of “Top Prospect”.
It’s hard to Ignore his most recent 1500 AB’s versus the 35 he’s had with the Mets. Like Juan, he’s a really nice looking player when he’s hot/running into some pitches.
The nice year in Cleveland in Limited ab’s is as much a mystery and a tease as his production and career arc appeared to be when he was 25.
Jackson,Vautista,Reyes,this ain’t a rebuilding club!
Hey…. he’s usable as a 4/5 ooutfielder, but Lagares is getting paid 9 million to fill that roll
Haven’t had a chance to watch much, but heard on radio that his defense leaves much to be desired. I’d prefer a strong defender in center and at catcher next year.
I wouldn’t rule anything out for 2019, butJavkson is unlikely to fit the Met needs. He is no longer a Lagares comp as his defense has eroded significantly.
While Lagares can’t be counted on given his history of injury and inconsistent offense, given his salary the Mets will either have to eat a big portion in a deal or carry a very pricey 4th OF. Likely, he’ll be the 4th OF but I think he could still be counted on for high quality defense, even if it has slipped a bit from gold glove standards. The bottom line – the Mets need to find a starting CF that brings plus defense, quality OBP and baserunning. No easy task and they should not rule out Rosario even if that is a long shot. Lagares also started as a SS that was a very poor fielder and moved to CF.
Jackson is the rare backup outfielder that can play all three positions passingly. Offense has never been his strength, but if he can be decent, there’s a place for him.
Sure, perhaps driving an Uber.
This team is headed for 90+ losses. Talking about Austing Jackson as if he is part of making this club competitive is compeletly ignoring the desperate state of affairs this team is in. Guys like Austin Jackson will be available through next spring training, and likely well beyond. He will not remain being Ted Williams for long (much like the speed the tarnish grew on Agon, Bautista, Mesoraco etc)
How about this team focuses attention on solving genuine issues to get above average every day major leaguers all over the diamond, instead of beliveing they can toss retreads or AAAA players that cant hit, field, or run behind a group of pitchers mistakenly imagined as being able to get 27 outs with no help.
Lets look around the field.
1B. Every day this team gives ABs to a person best suited for a team in last place (OMG, maybe Flores *is* on the right team), and in the AL. Flores will not help the team get to the post season. He can sort of hit, but really has nothing else to offer, except a coming 5M$ contract to sit on the bench or play regularly and be bad. Behind him we have OF Dom Smith, who only knows how to play 1B, that is until hes given the chance. And we have the mighty Pete Alonso, who we all adore. Not on the 40 man roster yet, is he really the back we need to climb on to October? Of course, we have Bruce ans Ces, injured and angry looking to find the fountain of youth at 1B. And how could we forget D Wright??
2B. yeah, right.
SS. So maybe in the end you park Rosario there and let him work it out. But this experiment will take time. Arent we contending in ’19? I suggest moving him to 2B, where he might find the speed of the game more friendly.
3B. The Toddfather. I guess of you fortify other positions defensively, and those players can hit, its possible to carry him. But hes more defense than offense, and you might have to accept long stretches of Guillorme at 3B between DL stints.
** Breaking news ** DWright to play 3B for 5 innings for PSL tomorrow.
C. Right now, I dont believe the Mets are close to having an MLB avg catcher. Plaw never showed he has it, and Mesoraco aint no Posey.
CF. The Mets it seems have a gaggle of corner OF trying to play CF (all but Bruce), but non have the chops to run the OF. I see the clamoring for Nimmo, but be careful what you wish for. I think hes a true hustle guy with some upside, but in CF you need an arm, and he dont have one.
RP. Ok, so this is the last thing on my mind to worry about, but lets face it, Rhame aint the answer.
Now, how does Austin Jackson fit into addressing these matters?
Chris, you were just getting warmed up!
Jackson solves none of those. But, a 31 year old backup OF that plays all three spots pretty well is a nice deal to have. All teams need backups.
You mentioned Rhame only. Chris, we are loaded in right handed relievers – the best depth in all MLB! As for the results, I promise nothing.
Last I checked, when the Mess was in the World Series the shortstop looked quite a bit like Flores and he didn’t hurt the club at all! Now, I know he’s a little slow a foot, may have regressed defensively a tad, and keeps getting thrown out at home plate, but if everyone was happy with Cabrera at second, what’s the problem with Flores sharing the spot with McNeil? No way Flores can be worse than the statue of Asdrubal Cabrera.
Chris, this morning I looked at the Red Sox stats. They basically have three guys carrying that team, a couple role players, and then a few guys doing nothing. With the Mess’ pitching staff, you don’t need eight all-stars. You need eight contributors defensively and three stout offensive players. Who they are, I don’t know. But, that’s your aim. Good luck.
Let me make it easier: Give me five solid contributors (.275-.280, 75-80 RBIs and 20 HRs) and no stars, and the best pitching staff in MLB. Can you do that?
best pitching staff in mlb…dont put money on it
Chris–
Catching: seriously…have you seen the MLB Catchers??? Mesoroco would be a nice bring-back. Has some pop…plays a nice catcher. There are few Buster posey’s out there. Take a look at the Pennant race teams and their catchers.
3b— The Todd was signed as a stop gap–I believe he still is, if healthy. PS…I’m in favor of signing Machado
2b… ????? true
OF— ther biggest questions are whether Nimmo is for real—and whether Conforto is more than a Streaky Tease. They have to be real–otherwise, 2019 is not a season. Solving for CF is easy if they’re real–otherwise, it’s meaningless.
SS–In for a penny..in for a pound. Hitting and Playing the position are in Rosario’s tank…will He??? Defensive lapses aside, the problem is his O—and if he’s not hitting enough to grind his baby teeth at SS, he cannot hit enough to be a 2b.
I think the big piece missing on this team is MLB quality Bench Pieces. Fores is Not…Reyes is not. Short benches make athleticism and positional flex a prremum..and they need to be able to play. Don forget…Floy and Jose were here when they were at “full strength”—-they were not a good bench then, and they will not be in 2019.
Pen— this is always Duck Soup…. I like the Gazelle and the Lugo…and I am ordering a full plate of luck and health
How about a catcher that can throw out runners at least league avg. our pitchers are prone to give up bases, and a weak arm behind the plate hurts us. bad. Id go after Realmuto if this team claims its going for it. if thats the case, then who cares about Giminez? or Alonso? never played an MLB game, while you have one of the best in the game for 3 years.
anyway, this treading water strategy of this team has fully rotted. If what we get is some has been FA on the cheap and hoping McNeil is a magical answer at 2B and Flores is moored to 1B and then you tell me its all about the pitching…we will revisit the plan again, and again from the bottom of the pile!
I like Jackson, but Nimmo is under rated in center field . He made several nice catches in the recent Braves and Reds series, both coming in and going back.
The Rosario speculation makes me angry only because the Met’s Management has been known to have a loose and damaging “mouth”. I’d believe this to be a fan created idea, but I can’t dismiss it because …..Mets. Sometimes you should just shut up…they don’t
The Mets will have too many outfielders next year. They don’t need Jackson who will probably slide back to his norms.
Geez the article just said that Jackson is a nice and surprising addition to a team that needs a right handed outfielder who can run around in centerfield. No one in AAA/AA fits the bill.
No one thinks he is the savior of next year’s team.
Jackson has fit the bill and was a solid pickup. If he’s willing to sign a modest one year deal to be our 5th OF next year, fine. By the way, AJ Pollock will be a free agent. Lagares is one of my favorite players when healthy, but his penchant for getting injured is maddening. We may be stuck with him for one more year, but I would not enter the season counting on him to be our CF. And his china doll counterpart, Travis d’Arnaud should be DFA’d. I think we’ve all had enough of that saga.