Detroit Tigers’ outfielder Austin Jackson can play defense, but what else can he do?
Submitted by Imaginary Diamond Blog
Detroit Tigers’ rookie center fielder Austin Jackson is on course to become a pretty good Major League Baseball player. We are starting to question, though, will he ever become a good “fantasy” baseball player? At this stage of his career, he’s more athlete than baseball player and more defender than offensive standout.
We liken the potential for his first season to a poor man’s version of Dexter Fowler in ‘09. Fowler had his moments, for sure, but never truly made an impact in fantasy. The difference between him and Jackson, though, is that Fowler runs better, has more power and should hit for a higher average.
A gloomy projection for Jackson? Sure. And considering that Jackson is likely to start in center field and hit leadoff for the Tigers, we may be too harsh. Scouring news headlines, especially the ones regarding young players, we look for glowing commentary from coaches and teammates. We didn’t exactly get that from Lynn Henning at The Detroit News
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Tigers manager Jim Leyland likes where Jackson is as a defensive center fielder, he’s just not sure when, if ever, Jackson will develop as a hitter.
We have our doubts, too. And, we don’t expect Jackson to last as the team’s leadoff hitter. Does that mean Jackson is irrelevant in fantasy this season? Of course not. But, like Fowler, his handful of promising moments will be lost in a sea of inexperience and inconsistency.
