Mailbag: Does Austin Jackson rebound to replicate his rookie year?
When the young Yankee minor leaguer came to us in a trade on December 9th, 2009, many fans were not too pleased as it meant the departure of the beloved Curtis Granderson.
It only took a month for the fans to start saying ‘Curtis who?’
Austin Jackson emerged as a very talented leadoff hitter and possessed the same explosive defensive abilities as Granderson.
Jackson would finish his rookie season with a .293 batting average, 10 triples, and 27 stolen bases. His only downfall was his 170 strikeouts, leading the entire American League. He would still go on to finish 2nd place in the American League Rookie of the Year award, losing to Rangers closer Neftali Feliz.
Going into the 2011 season, maybe were optimistic that Jackson would improve his stats across the board. That was not the case though, as he struggled right out the gate.
At the end of April '11, he was clinging onto a .181 batting average and had already compiled 36 strikeouts.
He would have up and down months the rest of the season, never seeming to get it together. He finished his sophomore season with a .249 average, 11 triples, and 181 strikeouts. Besides the triples, it’s not the numbers you want to see from your leadoff hitter.
So can he get it together and be the leadoff hitter we all want him to be? We’d all like to say yes, but it is a very tough road. Jackson will have to improve his patience at the plate, especially once he gets down in the count with two strikes.
In 2011, he went 78 for 564(.161) after getting that 2nd strike in the count. Whether it was in a full count or down 0-2, it’s not exactly what we’d call patience.
He is striving to become a more power hitter and working hard to limit his strikeouts, fighting to keep his leadoff spot. He recently worked with hitting coach Lloyd McClendon at Comerica Park when both were here for the Winter Caravans.
Reducing his leg kick and not moving his head as much should help him see the ball a lot better, which is exactly what they worked on.
We won’t know for sure if his adjustments will work for the better until spring training gets underway. The Tigers play their first exhibition game on March 2nd against Florida Southern College. We will see Jackson penciled in at the leadoff spot for now but his production will be watched very closely.
Tigers need to give Austin Jackson at maximum 40 games at the leadoff spot to start the 2012 season. If he’s not productive then he’ll likely be seeing the number 9 slot in the batting order everyday.
The leadoff spot for the Tigers is an important one, especially since the signing of Prince Fielder. Will Austin Jackson be able to handle the pressure and have a successful season? Or will fans start to remember just how much Curtis Granderson meant to them.
Thanks to Kenneth Therrian (@KennethTherrian) for the question!
Contact Matthew LaFave through e-mail (matt_lafave@insidetheroar.com) or twitter (@MatthewLaFave).
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