Draft Profile, Brett Jackson-CF, Cal Berkley

[bighurt4life]

Nother CF prospect who could be available for us when we pick at 23.

 

He didn't play much as a frosh but put up respectable numbers as a soph- .307 .400 845, 7-2b 4-3b 4hr 24bb 36k 11hbp 12sb 3cs. He's turned into a

 

Baseball America scouting report

The primary pet peeve among scouts is the tendency of some D-I programs to take batting practice with numberless jerseys, making identifying players frustratingly difficult. (Editor’s note: In fact, scouting directors brought this up to college coaches at their annual Winter Meetings get-together, and the college coaches remain somewhat stubborn on the matter.)

 

The University of California Golden Bears are an offender on this point. However, no one has a problem in picking out Brett Jackson, Cal’s 6-foot-2, 200-pound, lefthanded-hitting, righty-throwing center fielder.

 

Jackson sticks out with his high socks and distinct inward-turning, hand-pumping, leg-kicking, load-up and let-it-fly swing. Solidly built with a muscular and athletic frame, Jackson also possesses a distinct swagger on the field.

 

In Cal’s first two games this past weekend at Long Beach State, Jackson dominated. He collected seven hits in 11 at bats, scored three runs, drove in two and stole a base. Every base hit was a line-drive rocket. Despite a 1-for-6 cool-off on Sunday, Jackson exited Blair Field hitting a comfy .429, with a .500 OBP and slugging .600 after eight games. The Bears swept the series.

 

Jackson’s primary tool is his speed, which he uses to patrol large swaths of outfield territory as well as bedevil opponents on the bases. A throwback to hyper-aggressive baserunners like Kirk Gibson, Jackson may need to use a Kevlar vest to protect himself from injury due to so many head first slides. In Friday’s game, Jackson tagged up and advanced from second to third on a line drive to medium-deep left field.

 

The 2009 draft eligible D-I class offers few potential fivetool players. Jackson may be the primary candidate among outfielders, as some have compared him physically to J.D. Drew. He is an excellent defensive outfielder, has terrific speed, and his line-drive bat—which currently shows gap-to-gap power—figures to develop home run power with time and experience.

 

At this stage, the only concern with Jackson is his throwing arm. His tosses are erratic and inconsistent, with some showing flat trajectory and a single quick hop into the target; others are looping throws or multi-hop grasscutters. Proper technique and extra work should bring Jackson’s arm up to major league average.

 

Blake Smith, Cal’s 6-foot-2, 220-pound two-way player, did not enjoy as productive a weekend as did Jackson. An outfielder and pitcher, Smith was dreadful in his Saturday start, lasting only 2 1/3 innings while surrendering four hits, four runs and five walks. Smith struggled from the beginning, battling poor command. Patient Dirtbag hitters got ahead in the count and then nailed Smith’s fastball, which has plus velocity but is dead straight to his glove side.

 

Resembling Mike Marshall a bit on the mound, Smith struck out three in his abbreviated stint and did flash interesting raw stuff. His 92-94 mph fastball exhibits excellent arm-side movement, in contrast to his glove-side four-seamer. Smith’s 81-82 mph change shows both arm-side movement and “drop dead” action. From behind home plate, his change acts exactly like an old-fashioned palm ball, which is now nearly as extinct as the passenger pigeon.

 

Cal’s pitching staff is not overly strong, but the Bears field one of the finest crop of position players in the nation. Speedy freshman Marcus Semien and sophomore infielder Brian Guinn are already contributing significantly, as is freshman outfielder Danny Oh, a Washington prep product who has an outstanding lefthanded swing. No one could hope to adequately replace David Cooper at first base, but sophomore Mark Canha showed promising power on Friday with a towering fly ball home run.

 

Veterans Michael Brady and Dylan Tonneson anchor third base and catcher, respectively, and second baseman Jeff Kobernus has taken 2008 Mets draftee Josh Satin’s spot. Kobernus is a fine all-around player, with a quick bat, good speed, quality defensive skills and a tall, lanky and athletic fame that can comfortably fit into other defensive spots on the diamond, if need be.

 

There is no doubt, however, as to who Cal’s leader is. Many years ago, the head coach of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks was asked what role star forward Marques Johnson played on the team. The coach’s response could now be applied to Brett Jackson: “He has no role. He does everything.”

 

mlb.com scouting report

Hitting ability: Jackson has a solid, balanced approach at the plate. He doesn't have a big load to the ball and sometimes looks like he's rushing a bit.

Power: Shows average raw power now, but the way he swings it, he doesn't tap into it. He slaps at the ball a little more as Cal's leadoff hitter. But he does have some pop in there.

Running speed: Has above-average speed, with a football player's stride; someone who runs hard.

Base running: It's OK and he should be able to steal some bases in the future.

Arm strength: Has a plus arm from the outfield.

Fielding: He's fine in center now, but if he gets bigger and slows down, he might have to move to a corner spot.

Range: Runs gap-to-gap well.

Physical Description: Jackson is a big, athletic outfielder with good overall body strength.

Medical Update: Healthy.

Strengths: Strength, athletic ability. Some hitting ability and good speed to go along with good overall actions in center field.

Weaknesses: Strikes out a little too often for a leadoff hitter, but can he hit for enough power to be a No. 3 type. If he gets bigger, he may not be able to stay in center.

Summary: It's not a great Draft class for college bats, particularly in the outfield, so one with the athleticism Jackson has is bound to be noticed. He runs well on both sides of the ball, has a decent approach at the plate and plays a good center field right now. Some may see him as a tweener who isn't a leadoff hitter or a No. 3 type. If he gets bigger he will have to move to a corner, where how much power he actually has becomes a bigger question. He's got more value if he can stay in center, and the team that takes him may be hoping he can stay put.

 

Brett Jackson Q and A

[Chisoxfn]

It is widely believed that Ken Williams attended at least one of Jackson's games in person. The Sox apparently like his tools a lot, although he hasn't played as good as scouts thought he would this season and that makes him no longer a lock to go in the first round.

 

Still, he's a pretty toolsy player with great athletism who fits into what the Sox seem to be preaching. I wouldn't be at all shocked if the Sox went his way. I still think Trout and Pollack are better fits, but you could make a far worse selection than Brett Jackson.

 

The biggest thing is he still has had problem making contact and high strikeout rates from college players tend to be a pretty good indicator that a player will ultimately struggle to make it in the major leagues. He's striking out around 28% of the time, which is a pretty high strikeout rate for a top collegiate draft pick. For example, Josh Fields (yep, our Josh Fields) was said to have a pretty high strike-out rate in college and that was 18.5% of the time.

 

Bottom line, I wouldn't touch him until the 2nd round, anything earlier is too risky for a guy that still has a lot of flaws in his game. Raw tools are good, but you shouldn't take projects too early, imo, especially with more complete players on the board with similar upside.

[BearSox]

It is widely believed that Ken Williams attended at least one of Jackson's games in person. The Sox apparently like his tools a lot, although he hasn't played as good as scouts thought he would this season and that makes him no longer a lock to go in the first round.

 

Still, he's a pretty toolsy player with great athletism who fits into what the Sox seem to be preaching. I wouldn't be at all shocked if the Sox went his way. I still think Trout and Pollack are better fits, but you could make a far worse selection than Brett Jackson.

 

The biggest thing is he still has had problem making contact and high strikeout rates from college players tend to be a pretty good indicator that a player will ultimately struggle to make it in the major leagues. He's striking out around 28% of the time, which is a pretty high strikeout rate for a top collegiate draft pick. For example, Josh Fields (yep, our Josh Fields) was said to have a pretty high strike-out rate in college and that was 18.5% of the time.

 

Bottom line, I wouldn't touch him until the 2nd round, anything earlier is too risky for a guy that still has a lot of flaws in his game. Raw tools are good, but you shouldn't take projects too early, imo, especially with more complete players on the board with similar upside.

 

Pretty much summed it up.