Alex Jackson: One of Two Top-100 Prospect for the Seattle Mariners

In recent seasons the Seattle Mariners have been loaded with top-prospects: James Paxton, Taijuan Walker, Nick Franklin.

But in ESPN’s 2015 top-100 MLB prospects, the Mariners carry just two, outfielder Alex Jackson and 3B D.J. Peterson. Jackson is ranked #59 by ESPN, with Peterson at #61. Tomorrow I will have a feature on D.J. Peterson, but for today the focus is on Alex Jackson.

In his first minor league season with the Mariners in 2014, Jackson hit .280/.344/.476 with 2 home runs in the Arizona rookie league. The outfield talent, drafted 6th overall by the Mariners, is a converted catcher from his high school days.

Here is what Keith Law had to say about the 19-year old outfielder:

The No. 6 overall pick in the 2014 draft, Jackson was a catcher in high school but moved to the outfield immediately upon signing with the Mariners because they believe his bat is advanced the way the bats of ex-catchers Wil Myers and Bryce Harper were out of the draft. Jackson is definitely a hitter first and foremost, with a clean, powerful swing that should work to all fields and more home run power to his pull side but enough hand strength that he’ll drive a few out the other way. He generates that power from his lower half, with good extension through contact, so while his bat speed is above average rather than elite, he should make a lot of loud contact.He struggled a bit to pick up spin during his brief time in the AZL, and his summer ended early when he misjudged a fly ball and suffered a broken bone in his cheek. I think he’ll be fine in the outfield, with a 70-grade arm and maybe average range. The bat should play, assuming his trouble with breaking balls was just a small-sample fluke.

The big piece for Alex Jackson is getting healthy again after the freak fly ball that broke his cheek bone. But, with such a small sample size and such a high stock, it seems like Alex Jackson could be someone worth watching in a Mariners uniform in coming years.

Jackson, along with D.J. Peterson and Patrick Kivelhan, head a farm system deep with young, powerful hitters, the opposite of the pitching-rich system just a year ago.

If these guys continue to develop and find their swings, the firepower opportunities are endless.

My personal expectation with Jackson is a solid everyday outfielder two or three years down the road. If he stays healthy in 2015 and he hits like crazy, he could find himself in Double-A Jackson before season’s end. Then, in 2016, he could work up to Triple-A, be a late-season call-up, and finally be on the Major League roster Opening Day 2017.

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