Times Q&A With A-Jack

Austin Jackson may have leapfrogged Jose Tabata this year to become the top position prospect in the Yankees farm system [though Jesus Montero may soon have something to say about that]. Thus far this season A-Jack is batting .275 with 3 homeruns, 18 doubles, 37 RBI and 10 stolen bases for AA-Trenton.

Tyler Kepner of the NY Times sat down with Jackson for a brief question-and-answer session with the two sport star coming out of high school:

Q: You played two sports in high school, baseball and basketball. Now that you’ve had a chance to devote yourself to baseball, what kind of talent are you tapping into?

A: I think I’m starting to definitely become a smarter baseball player. In rookie ball, I knew how to hit, but I didn’t know how to work the count. I’d swing early in the count, maybe at a bad pitch, because I was just a ballplayer. But I’m starting to study the game a lot more, know what the pitchers have, things like that. I think I’m definitely becoming a better baseball player as opposed to just an athlete.

Q: Whether it’s you or Brett Gardner at AAA, what can your kind of speed do to change a game?

A: It can change the outcome of a game, one stolen base, getting yourself into scoring position, that puts a burden on the pitcher and the guy hitting behind you can drive in a run. It’s definitely good to have speed. It helps out in all aspects of the game. They say speed kills. It’s the one part of my game that I can rely on.

Q: If you’d stayed with basketball, do you think you could be in the NBA right now?

A: (laughs) I think I could. I’ve been checking out some of the talent in college basketball, I’ve been sizing them up. I think I’d have what it takes.

Twice this year A-Jack [his preferred nickname over A-Jax] compiled seven RBI in a single game. One of which included an important grand slam. If Jackson's 2007 second half of the season is any indicator, the Texas product could put together a pretty special year for the Thunder.

Trenton Report: The Untouchables

I covered yesterday's Trenton Thunder vs. Altoona Curve game for an online magazine in order to sit down with starting pitcher Daniel McCutchen. Though he pitched Tuesday night - 7 scoreless innings - and carried his team to a 4-0 victory, I was able to closely observe two of the Yankees top three prospects in action.

Pardon the pun.

During this particular game, the plate discipline that Austin Jackson and Jose Tabata exhibited was far more advanced than I had expected. Remember the twosome are 21 and 19 years old respectively. And Jackson's speed may not be elite, but there is an ease and grace to his steps that make him look even faster than he already is - which is pretty damn fast.

Tabata looked incredibly comfortable in the box, and though he wasn't facing Clayton Kershaw or Rick Porcello, his ability to take a pitch on the outside corner and mash it into rightfield is a skillset which will carry over into the big leagues. [As will the apparent clutchness Tabata's shown throughout the minor leagues.]

Two out of the three times A-Jax got aboard [2-4 with a walk] in yesterday's game, Tabata followed him up by taking the outside pitch and lacing it deep into the right field corner. Both times, Jackson scored standing up all the way from first base.

In a mere two different at-bats, both Tabata's and Jackson's strengths were highlighted. Tabata's brute strength with the stick [those doubles could become homers as his body matures] met with Jackson's on-base ability and stealth around the base paths.

In the field, there was little to be determined as the only balls Jackson fielded were either can-o-corn high flies or basehits which could not have possibly been caught. Tabata was not tested very much either, though he did show a bout of a laziness on an Altoona double triple down the line. While in pursuit of the baseball in the right field corner, Tabata was noticeably slow to recover and get the ball back into the infield. As a result, Yankees scouts cringed and a double became a triple.

Most Underrated Prospects

Alex Eisenberg of Baseball Intellect ranked the top four prospects who he believes are the most underrated in minor league baseball. Henry Sosa of the Giants, Jed Lowrie of the Red Sox, Chase Headley of the Padres, and Jair Jurrjens of the Braves were tops with two other youngsters filed under the "Players to Watch" category. The first was:

Austin Jackson, Age - 21, CF, New York Yankees (A/A+)

Jackson had an unusual transition from low-A Charleston to A+ Tampa. He struggled at a lower level of competition in a park that was tougher for pitchers before exploding against better competition in a park that was better for pitchers

Jackson was just 20 y/o last year, and has a projectable body. His success at Tampa carried over into fall ball in the Hawaii Baseball League. Jackson is also a plus defender in CF. If he can continue his success next year at AA, he has the potential to be a top-10 prospect next year.

Not sure how underrated A-Jax is anymore, but I agree with his last sentence whole-heartedly.

One Jackson to Another.

Reggie Jackson on Austin Jackson:

“The best athlete in the organization is Austin Jackson. He moves better than LaDanian Tomlinson.”

Heavy praise from the heavy hitter himself.


Delgado NYC Bound For Hip Discomfort. New York Mets first baseman, Carlos Delgado, is on his way back to the Big Apple for an MRI. Delgado is complaining of discomfort in his hip, and is hoping this is not the same hip flexor injury he suffered last season.

Callis Chats: Guess Hughes Back

I forgot to post a few Yankees morsels which Baseball America's Jim Callis spoke on during his last two ESPN chats. Topics include how Phil Hughes will fair in 2008, a comparison of Melky Cabrera and Carlos Gomez, a comparison of Jacoby Ellsbury, Adam Jones and Austin Jackson and more:

SprungOnSports (Long Island): For 2008: Hughes, Myers, Ubaldo, Francis?

Jim Callis: Phil Hughes. Let's give him 16 wins and a 3.65 ERA.


Marc: Commack NY: Will we see the real Phil Hughes this year... im talkin big time curveball, and 92-94 on the gun?

Jim Callis: Yes.


Jay (Madison,WI): Carlos Gomez or Melky Cabera?

Jim Callis: Wow, two guys I don't like as much as other people do. Gomez has more upside, Cabrera has more polish . . . it's a tossup on which way you want to go. I'd take Melky, I guess.


Max, (NY, NY): Pure speculation at this point but...who ends up having the better career: Austin Jackson or Adam Jones?

Jim Callis: Adam Jones. I want to see Austin Jackson have more than one strong half, but I do like him.


Jarrett (Medford, MA): ellsbury or austin jackson

Jim Callis: I'd take Ellsbury. Jackson has the higher ceiling but Ellsbury has a nice ceiling too and is much more of a sure thing.

Granted, Callis is admittedly more in love with Ellsbury than many other prospect gurus, but he still has a fair take on A-Jax. Interesting that - though he isn't very high on either - Callis selects Cabrera of Gomez. Callis' take on Hughes has been consistent since last September when he wrote Hughes would not be "right" until the 2008 season.

SWB Blog Revisits Top Prospects List

Chad Jennings revisited Deric McKamey's prospect list with an interview contending Humberto Sanchez is obviously best suited as a reliever, Jose Tabata is currently the superior prospect to Austin Jackson and George Kontos is underrated.

During the first piece, Jennings posted McKamey's top 15 prospects in the Yankees organization. Rankings of note included Dellin Betances at #7, Sanchez at #9, Kevin Whelan at #11 and Kontos at #12.

The rankings of these four prospects - which I agree with - have dropped on the lists of several other prospect outlets like Baseball America and John Sickels.

I chose a few highlights from the lengthy interview:

Is Humberto Sanchez's rating as a starting pitcher? Would it be any different assuming he was going to the bullpen?

Even though the Yankees haven’t made a definitive decision on Sanchez’ role, his rating is based on him becoming a reliever. The TJS not-withstanding, I feel he doesn’t change speeds well and his arm action has some recoil at the finish, which may always present stamina problems.

A move to the bullpen should preserve his arm and since he can focus on his fastball and two solid breaking pitches, he should do very well in that role.

What should we make of the long list of prospect relievers (Melancon, Cox, Whelan, Robertson, and Sanchez)? What role do you see those guys filling in the big leagues?

Sanchez, Whelan, and Melancon are the better arms of this group and all three have the goods to close in the right situation. Sanchez was discussed earlier. Whelan, despite being used as a starter in 2007, projects as a reliever for me. He has a very nasty splitter and exceptional movement to his 88-94 MPH fastball. His command can be erratic at times, but he misses bats easily.

Melancon missed the 2007 season with TJS, but his recovery has gone well and is expected to be ready for spring training. He throws hard (90-95 MPH) and can notch strikeouts too, but relies more on groundball outs than Sanchez and Whelan. He utilizes a curveball as his secondary pitch. He didn’t possess much of a change-up prior to his surgery and being that pitch is a “feel” pitch, I wonder how long it will take for him to get it to the average level, especially if the Yankees alter his mechanics, which was reported.

Cox is coming off of TJS and because he doesn’t have anything to offer LH batters, his upside is that of a setup reliever. Robertson is a short (height-wise) reliever with a deceptively quick fastball and two solid comps (curveball and change-up). Despite his ability to miss bats and command the plate at both Class-A levels, he projects as a setup reliever as well.

Which Yankees prospect do you like more than most analysts and which do you like less?

I like George Kontos better than most, ranking him #12 on my top 15 list. Kontos has shown excellent command, along with the ability to notch strikeouts and keep the ball low at every level he has pitched at. He throws hard (89-94 MPH) with two and four-seam fastballs, has a solid slider, and changes speeds well. He does have a tendency to overthrow which flattens his pitches and can make him hittable at times.

Finally, two pitchers I've been hesitant to get too high on: Jeff Marquez and George Kontos. You obviously like them. Why?

Kontos, I talked about earlier, but what I like about Marquez is his smooth/quick arm action, which gives him excellent pitch movement. He can touch 95 MPH, but hasn’t been able to hold it deep into games. He did pitch 155.1 innings, which alleviated any stamina concerns, but I feel he could add some strength to help him maintain his velocity. Both of his secondary offerings (curveball and change-up) are at least Major League average and he knows how to pitch.

Good stuff on Kontos, but I would have liked to have seen more thoughts on Melancon and Horne. I support the contention that Gardner is a good potential fourth outfielder, but not much more.

And, after seeing Juan Miranda several times last year at Trenton, McKamey is accurate in marginalizing the Cuban defector as a hitter without a glove. He looked more like Pele than Mattingly booting balls around the infield last season.