Austin Jackson (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Austin Jackson |
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Jackson with the Cleveland Indians in 2017
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| Center fielder | |||
| Born: February 1, 1987 Denton, Texas, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 5, 2010, for the Detroit Tigers | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 30, 2018, for the New York Mets | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .273 | ||
| Home runs | 65 | ||
| Runs batted in | 381 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Austin Jarriel Jackson (born February 1, 1987) is a former American professional baseball player. He played as a center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) for several teams. These teams included the Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants, and New York Mets. Before becoming a professional player, he attended Billy Ryan High School.
The New York Yankees chose Jackson in the 2005 MLB draft. They later traded him to the Tigers at the end of the 2009 season. He made his MLB debut with the Tigers in 2010. In the next two seasons, he helped the Tigers reach the playoffs. During these years, he hit the most triples in the American League. He also won the Fielding Bible Award for best center field defense in 2011.
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Early Life and Sports
In 1999, Baseball America magazine called Austin Jackson the best 12-year-old baseball player in the country. Three years later, they named him the best 15-year-old player.
Jackson went to Billy Ryan High School in Denton, Texas. He was a talented athlete in both baseball and basketball. In basketball, he was ranked as the #10 high school point guard in the nation. He averaged 22.5 points, five rebounds, and three assists per game in his junior year. In baseball, he hit for a .423 batting average with five home runs and 34 RBI. His high school team was the Texas State runner-up in Class AAAA. Baseball America rated him as the 14th best high school player for the draft.
Professional Baseball Career
New York Yankees Years
Austin Jackson had planned to play both baseball and basketball for Georgia Tech. However, the New York Yankees picked him in the eighth round of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft. To get him to sign with them instead of going to college, the Yankees offered Jackson $800,000. This was a record signing bonus for an eighth-round draft pick at the time.
From 2005 to 2009, Jackson moved up through the Yankees' minor league teams. After a slow start, he became one of the Yankees' top young players. In 2009, Baseball America said he was the Yankees' best prospect. After the 2009 season, the Yankees added Jackson to their 40-man roster. This protected him from being chosen by another team in the Rule 5 draft.
Time with the Detroit Tigers
On December 9, 2009, Jackson was traded to the Detroit Tigers. This was part of a big three-team trade that sent Curtis Granderson to the Yankees. When he joined the Tigers, Baseball America ranked him as their third-best prospect for the 2010 season.
Jackson played his first major league game on April 5, 2010, against the Kansas City Royals. He got one hit in five tries. On April 25, 2010, he hit his first major league home run off Colby Lewis of the Texas Rangers. In his first month, Jackson led all major league players with 36 hits. He was named the American League Rookie of the Month. On June 2, 2010, against the Cleveland Indians, Jackson made an amazing catch. He caught a ball over his shoulder in the ninth inning of Armando Galarraga's near-perfect game. The perfect game was later broken by an incorrect call from umpire Jim Joyce. Jackson was named an outfielder on Baseball America's 2010 All-Rookie Team. He also made the 2010 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team.
On November 15, 2010, Jackson finished second in the 2010 American League Rookie of the Year voting. Neftalí Feliz won the award. Jackson ended his rookie season playing 151 games. He had a .293 batting average, 10 triples, 4 home runs, and 41 RBI. He also led the American League with 170 strikeouts.
Jackson was named the American League Player of the Week for the first time from August 29 to September 4, 2011. During that week, he had a great .529 batting average. He hit three doubles, three triples, and two home runs. He also drove in five runs and scored 13 runs. The Tigers won five out of seven games that week. This helped them increase their lead in the American League Central Division. In 2011, he won a Fielding Bible Award for being the best defensive center fielder in MLB. Jackson played 153 games in 2011. He batted .249 with 10 home runs, 45 RBI, and led the AL with 11 triples. In Game 6 of the 2011 ALCS, Jackson hit his first career postseason home run. However, the Tigers lost that game and the series to the Texas Rangers.
On April 5, 2012, Jackson was the leadoff hitter and played center field for the Tigers on Opening Day. He got three hits in five tries, with one RBI and one run scored. Jackson hit a walk-off single with the bases loaded. This gave the Tigers a 3–2 win over the Boston Red Sox. Jackson played 137 games in 2012. He batted .300 with 16 home runs, 66 RBI, and led the AL with 10 triples. Jackson went to the postseason with the Tigers for the second year in a row. He hit a home run in Game 4 of the ALCS against the New York Yankees, which helped the Tigers win the series. But the Tigers were swept in 4 games by the San Francisco Giants in the World Series.
Injuries caused Jackson to play in only 129 games in 2013. He was still the Tigers' leadoff hitter. He batted .272 with 12 home runs, 49 RBI, and a career-low 8 stolen bases. On January 17, 2014, Jackson and the Tigers agreed to a one-year deal worth $6 million for the 2014 season.
Seattle Mariners
On July 31, 2014, the Tigers traded Jackson to the Seattle Mariners. This was part of a big three-team trade. Drew Smyly, Nick Franklin, and Willy Adames went to the Tampa Bay Rays. David Price went to the Detroit Tigers.
On May 3, 2015, Jackson sprained his ankle in a game against the Houston Astros. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list the next day.
Chicago Cubs
On August 31, 2015, the Mariners traded Jackson to the Chicago Cubs. He finished the 2015 season having played 136 games. He stole 17 bases and had a .696 OPS (On-base Plus Slugging).
Chicago White Sox
On March 6, 2016, Jackson signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Chicago White Sox. On August 25, the White Sox announced that Jackson would miss the rest of the season. He had been out since June 10 and had surgery to fix a knee injury. In 54 games, he had a .254 batting average, 18 RBI, 12 doubles, and scored 24 runs.
Cleveland Indians
Jackson signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians on January 25, 2017. The Indians added him to their major league team on March 27, 2017. On August 1, 2017, Jackson made an amazing catch. He robbed Hanley Ramirez of a home run by catching the ball over the right-center field wall. He ran about 97 feet and flipped over the wall into the Red Sox bullpen. This play was called the "play of the year" for 2017 by broadcasters and MLB.
San Francisco Giants
On January 22, 2018, Jackson signed a two-year deal with the San Francisco Giants. The deal was worth $6 million over two years.
Texas Rangers
On July 8, 2018, Jackson was traded to the Texas Rangers. Pitcher Cory Gearrin and minor league pitcher Jason Bahr also went to the Rangers. In exchange, the Giants received a player to be named later or cash. Three days later, the Rangers removed him from their roster. The Rangers released Jackson on July 14.
New York Mets
On July 27, 2018, Jackson signed a one-year contract with the New York Mets. On September 29, he hit a walk-off double in the 13th inning. This happened in David Wright's final career game. Jackson's hit gave the Mets a 1–0 victory. Jackson became a free agent after the season ended.
After His Playing Career
In April 2020, Jackson said he was interested in returning to MLB. As of September 2021, he had not signed with an MLB team.
Starting on July 7, 2021, Jackson began announcing baseball games. He joined Dan Dickerson on the Detroit Tigers Radio Network. He helped call a three-game series between the Detroit Tigers and the Texas Rangers.
