9 replies to this topic

[Twinkletoez]

I am on this site religiously every day but don't post very often. Fighting off a nasty bug and have been sleeping all day so can't sleep now. What better to do then dig up cubs info. I really want to see Brett Jackson succeed and I know how horrible his numbers were in limited time last season. I hear he has been working with Dale Sveum during the off season on shortening his swing and the reports from Bruce Levine and Carrie Muskat (I know not the best ringing endorsements there) that he has been driving the ball with more authority and making more contact. Isn't this the exact same thing they did with Antony Rizzo last season? Their two failed late season call ups are eerily similar, with Jackson's even looking slightly better.

Rizzo 128 AB - 46 k's - .141 AVG - .281 OBP - .242 SLG - 524 OPS - 51 OPS+
Jackson 120 AB - 59k's - .175 AVG - .303 OBP - 342 SLG - 644 OPS - 77 OPS+

So is it completely out of the realm of possibility that Jackson turns it around and can be a productive every day OF?

sorry in advance for any spelling, punctuation, and run on sentences. Major medicine head here

[X the cubs fan]

I really hope he pans out to he's a guy with great potential, possible 20-20 guy.

[Cubsin]

It's certainly possible. I consider it unlikely that Jackson will ever out-OPS Rizzo, but even that is possible. Since Jackson will probably be our CF until Almora arrives and is a much better base runner/base stealer, he could be more valuable than Rizzo compared to league averages for their respective positions.

[Twinkletoez]

I don't actually think he will out OPS Rizzo, I was just using their similar late season call up stats as a way to show that Rizzo struggled just as much as Jackson did. I don't remember everyone screaming bust with Rizzo but a large majority of people seem to be ready to give up on Jackson already. I am hoping he can turn it around with his corrected swing and maybe produce a slash line around 265/370/460 with some good defense and base running.

[Spriggs]

Jackson and Rizzo are pals (at least they hung around with each other all spring last year) and were often paired up in practice sessions. It was fun watching them get into their HR derby matches... after regular BP turns in the cage. This was before Rizzo and changed his swing. Jackson can mash, but some of Rizzo's bombs were simply awesome. I never understood any of the Ryan Howard comps that were going around - until I saw him.

[100 Years of Tears]

To me, it seems that if Jackson makes a Rizzo-esque return, we will have more than just found a CF... We will have solidified a potent young core to compete with for years to come. And with the young talent in the minors, that competitiveness can be sustained.

However, if he continues to flounder, the Cubs still have a lot of questions to answer and holes to fill.

I'm getting really excited to see a marked improvement in the quality of baseball this year and the development of the youngsters we've seen added over the past year. Come on, April!!! (or at least March...)

[Twinkletoez]

Bleacher Bum,

You are in better shape then I am with your " Come on, April!! " I am already dying just for Pitchers and Catchers to report next month

[Tommy]

I hope you're right about Jackson, but there is one major difference between him and Rizzo - Rizzo never struggled with striking out in AAA the way that Jackson has.

[Seangone41]

Yeah, BJax is definitely going to have to greatly cut down on his K%. I'm skeptical. Hopefully we see some improvements this season in Iowa. Luckily his OBP skills are good enough, so a 25-30% K rate should be fine.

[Brett]

I hope you're right about Jackson, but there is one major difference between him and Rizzo - Rizzo never struggled with striking out in AAA the way that Jackson has.

And he was doing it at a younger age than Jackson, too. Unfortunately, I don't think they parallel each other as much as we wish they did.

Fortunately, given his defensive and baserunning ability (which doesn't just mean steals), Jackson doesn't have to hit nearly as well as Rizzo to still be a valuable player. But he does have to get that K rate down below 30%, or he simply won't have a batting average high enough to sustain a reasonable OBP and SLG.