Justin Jackson (minors01)

Justin Jackson

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 186 lb.
• High School T. C. Roberson High School

• Born December 11, 1988 in Asheville, NC USA

Minors BR page

Biographical Information

Justin Jackson is a former first-round pick.

Jackson hit .520 and slugged 1.112 as a high school senior, with 21 steals, 12 home runs and 58 runs in 98 at-bats. He was named second-team All-American by Baseball America, joining Drew Cumberland, Pete Kozma and Nick Noonan on the infield (the first team infield was Kevin Ahrens, Matt Dominguez, Mike Moustakas and Josh Vitters.

He was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the first round of the 2007 amateur draft with the 45th overall pick. The pick was compensation for the loss of Frank Catalanotto to free agency. He was the 4th first-rounder for the Jays that year, after Ahrens, J.P. Arencibia and Brett Cecil. The scout was Marc Tramuta.

He hit .187/.274/.241 for the 2007 GCL Blue Jays in his pro debut, fielding .951. His offense picked up a bit in 2008, but not like one would expect of a first-rounder - .238/.340/.368 for the Lansing Lugnuts. He had 74 runs, 6 triples, 62 walks, 17 steals (in 25 tries), 154 strikeouts in 454 at-bats and a .956 fielding percentage with 26 errors. He tied for 9th in the Midwest League in runs, was third in whiffs (after Felix Carrasco and Brandon Waring) and ranked 6th in walks. He led league shortstops with 83 double plays. Baseball America rated him as the #14 prospect in the MWL, between Jordan Walden and Kozma. In 2009, Jackson fell to .213/.321/.269 for the Dunedin Blue Jays with no homers and 87 strikeouts in 249 at-bats. He stole 17 bases while being caught only four times.

In 2010, Jackson played for the Lugnuts (.249/.328/.301) and Dunedin (6 for 30, 2B, 5 BB), still not making significant progress offensively. No longer a starting shortstop, he was being used as a utility man. He reached the AA level with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in 2011 (.212/.280/.341 in 28 G); he also played 92 games for Dunedin (.259/.342/.361, 89 K in 316 AB in 92 G).

Source: 2011 Blue Jays Media Guide, 2008-2012 Baseball Almanacs