The next prospect up to be reviewed is Brett Jackson of the Chicago Cubs.
The Basics
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
How Acquired: Drafted by the Chicago Cubs out of UC-Berkeley in the 1st round (#31 overall) of the 2009 Amateur Draft
Age as of 4/1/11: 21
Scouting Reports and Statistics
The Baseball Cube
Tm Lg G R H HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG Daytona FLOR 67 56 83 6 38 12 43 63 .316 .420 .517 Tennessee SOUL 61 47 63 6 28 18 30 63 .276 .366 .465
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/10/2011.
Prospect Ranks
Hardball Times: #1 (CHC – 2011)
Deep Leagues: #5 (Outfielders– 2011), #21 (Overall – 2011)
Bullpen Banter: #4 (Center Fielders – 12/2010)
Baseball America: #7 (Florida State League – 10/2010), #2(CHC – 2011 pre Garza trade)
John Sickels: #1 (CHC – 2011) B
Baseball Prospectus: #1 (CHC – 2011)
Scouting Book: #17 (Outfielders – 2011)
Top Prospect Alert: #1 (CHC – 2011)
Analysis
Jackson was a first round draft pick out of the University of California, Berkeley in the 2009 draft, and signed for a bonus just shy of $1 million. He got off to a quick start, hitting .318/.418/.488 with 8 homers and 13 stolen bases in 53 games between 3 levels. He continued to advance quickly, starting 2010 at the Cubs’ High-A affiliate, and was promoted to AA near the end of June.
Jackson really looks like he has the potential to have a decent power bat to go with his speed. He had 30 total stolen bases last year, and had 58 extra base hits across both levels. This was the first year he had really shown that kind of stolen bases potential, and I am looking forward to seeing if he can repeat the performance again in 2011.
I do like the plate discipline he has shown to this point, and while it isn’t quite at an elite level, he has definitely shown that he can take a walk. His strikeout rate is a bit higher than I would necessarily like, but coupled with the walk rate I think it can be a solid tool for Jackson.
Jackson has played center field almost exclusively last year, and it sounds like he has a pretty good shot to stay there:
From Project Prospect’s notes:
He’s got plus range in all directions, gets good reads off the bat and takes instinctive routes. He looks the part now.
You can find also see video of him taking BP here.
Outlook
While Jackson will probably be with the Major League club for Spring Training, he seems more likely to start 2011 at AA. If he performs well, he seems likely to finish the year at AAA, with even an outside chance at getting a late-season call ups.
Prediction for 2011
.290/.380/.480, 15 HR, 65 RBI, 30 SB
Expected ETA
2012 most likely, with the possibility of a call up in 2011.
