San Francisco Giants: A Look at Austin Jackson’s Career

With the San Francisco Giants now bringing Austin Jackson into the fold, we thought we’d take a look at his career in the major leagues.

The Early Years

Austin Jackson has signed up to be a part of the Giants for the next two seasons after finishing a very strong campaign in 2017. He might be the starting center fielder or a role player, but he is an interesting addition. He was an eighth round pick out of Billy Ryan High School by the New York Yankees in the 2005 draft.

For much of Jackson’s minor league career, he was regarded as a top prospect by many publications, including Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus.

His highest ranking came prior to the 2007 season where Baseball America rated him as the 41st best prospect.

During his minor league career he had a knack for hitting and getting on baseball. In addition to this, he was a versatile, defensive outfielder and a solid base runner with good instincts.

Jackson had the tools to become a future leadoff hitter and center fielder for the Yankees.

Major League Career

Jackson never got to show off his tools in a Yankees uniform after being part of a trade between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers. He was sent to the Tigers in a trade that saw several players, such as Curtis Granderson and Max Scherzer, switch uniforms as well.

Jackson put together an impressive rookie campaign in 2010, and finished second in the AL ROY voting behind Neftali Feliz.

As a member of the Tigers, Jackson played a role in several postseason runs including a trip to the World Series in 2012.

Similar to Andrew McCutchen, Jackson has the unique experience of having the Giants knock his team out of the playoffs.

Austin Jackson had a productive career with the Tigers before being traded to the Seattle Mariners during the 2014 season.

His stint with the Mariners was not great as his production began to slip. His Mariners tenure came to an end after a trade to the Chicago Cubs in 2015.

Following his Cubs tenure, he signed a contract with the White Sox in 2016. He battled inconsistent production and injuries before regaining his footing with the Indians.

Next: San Francisco Giants: Is Austin Jackson meant to be a fourth outfielder?

However, many of the teams that have added Jackson are competing and see him as a piece of the puzzle.