Tag: Austin Jackson

With four multi-hit games in his last four contests Austin Jackson is one hot fantasy outfielder.

Analysis: It has been a relatively disappointing year thus far for Austin Jackson but he is still putting up fantasy relevant numbers. Jackson’s ten stolen bases is good for eighteenth among major league outfielders and his thirty-three runs is good for twenty-sixth among big league outfielders. He is still producing even with a .258 batting average. It’s a bit strange that the youngster has an ISO over fifteen points higher this year even though in 2010 he was hitting about forty points higher than he is now. His power is starting to develop much to the surprise of some and he has double digit home run potential as early as next year. The surging Jackson is still available in over fifty percent of fantasy leagues so you may want to pick up the surging speedster before it’s too late. Jackson has also amassed the ninth most at bats this year among outfielders and with his recent streak his run and stolen base totals should become more than respectable by year’s end. He certainly is a hot and cold player but patience is paying off in this case.

Projection: Expect four to five bombs, fifteen to eighteen steals and fifty plus runs in Jackson’s remaining ninety games.

Austin Jackson is a solid outfield option in roto leagues but the hype and his misleading 2010 batting average due to an inflated BABIP has left many fantasy owners disappointed.

Analysis: It really was just a matter of time before Austin Jackson owners realized he wasn’t going to live up to his draft position this year but that doesn’t mean you have to outright drop the guy from your squad. 2011 is a completely different story for Jackson, he’s hitting .157 with a .222 BABIP. The most concerning stat is the 34.3% K rate, he’s striking out even more than last year. He’ll settle down soon enough, he’s not fighting for a job. When Jackson gets it going at the top of that Tigers’ order he will be scoring runs in bunches again and with it the stolen bases will be there. The batting average will be fine, but nothing to write home about. Fantasy baseball is about patience and Jackson is too good of a player in roto formats to be available in over fifty percent of leagues, so stay with him and start him when he heats up.

Projection: Austin Jackson will finish the season with 22-25 stolen bases, about 80 runs and a batting average in the middle of the pack. Maybe next year he’ll finally be drafted where he belongs.

We all know how inflated Austin  Jackson’s batting average was last year but his lack of plate discipline should really concern you.

Analysis: Austin Jackson’s league leading .396 BABIP was the only reason he flirted with hitting .300 last year. In reality, Jackson is a .280-.285 hitter when considering the facts. Jackson’s BABIP will take at least a ten point hit in 2011, .396 is just unsustainable. Jackson’s 27.5% strikeout rate is cause for concern as well and looks like it’s here to stay. His Double A and Triple A K-rates averaged about 23% and he was hitting for more power. Coming in to last year there were some scouts talking about his power potential and how a 10-12 home run year was realistic. His home run total last year was 4 and his ISO was .107, to put that into perspective that’s Orlando Husdon and Starlin Castro’s ISO range. The most telling stat has to be Jackson’s .28 BB/K line which was sixth worst in MLB last year. It’s fine to have a leadoff hitter without power but one that strikes out like a power hitter and cannot draw a walk is very concerning, especially to stolen base and run totals.

Projection: Jackson is good for what he did last year minus a few batting average points and some runs. However, guys like Jose Tabata, Cameron Maybin and Dexter Fowler ALL have the potential to put up similar numbers and you can get them many rounds later in your fantasy draft.