NEWSLETTER
Brett Jackson continues to defy nearly everything we think we know about baseball by striking out a ton while still being a productive hitter. In June his line now reads .274/.342/.509. That isn’t a great set of numbers for the Pacific Coast League, but it isn’t bad either. In 106 AB over that same span he has 10 walks and 48 strikeouts. That is bad at any level.
However, as is often the case, this bit of inexplicablity starts to disappear when we dig into the splits. When Jackson is ahead in the count he is hitting a robust .281/.454/.594 with 32 walks and 28 strikeouts 96 AB. When he is behind in the count, those numbers drop to .171/.193/.295 with 55 walks in 105 AB. We expect some gap in a player’s numbers in these two situations, but Jackson’s splits are extreme. Anthony Rizzo, by comparison, finished Triple A this season with a line of .328/.505/.896 when ahead and .289/.297/.433 when behind. The problem, then, appears to be with Jackson’s approach when he is behind in the count. He has a much harder time making contact, and when he does make contact he’s not driving the ball as hard as he does when he is ahead.
So, how do the Cubs’ fix it? Now that Rizzo is in the majors and Vitters is hitting fairly well, I think ironing out Jackson’s game is the overwhelming top priority for the Iowa hitting instructors. They’ve had success polishing up hitters before (Rizzo and Vitters both made strides in Iowa this season). Hopefully they can turn Brett Jackson into their biggest success story yet.
Scores From Yesterday
Iowa – A little pit of power and a lot of good pitching resulted in Iowa’s 7-0 win.
Tennessee – Friday was a hitters’ night in Tennessee, and the Smokies got the best of it. They won 10-8.
Daytona – The Blue Jays rallied in the ninth to beat the Cubs 11-10.
Peoria – In another hot game with lots of offense, the Chiefs fell in ten innings 8-7.
Boise – The Hawks lost their tenth game of the season by a final of 4-1.
Arizona – The AZL Cubs had a day off.
Performances of the Day
Other Minor League Notes
Farm System Standings
AAA – Iowa Cubs : 34 – 48.
Pacific Coast League American Northern Division – Second Place: 17.0 Games Behind.
AA – Tennessee Smokies : 4-5
Southern League North Division – Third Place (tie) : 2.0 Game Behind
High A – Daytona Cubs : 6-3
Florida State League North Division – First Place (tie) : 0.0 Games Ahead
Low A – Peoria Chiefs : 3-5
Midwest League Eastern Division – Third Place : 2.0 Game Behind
Short-Season A – Boise Hawks : 5 – 10
Northwest League East Division – Third Place : 3.5 Games Behind
Rookie League – AZL Cubs : 6 – 2
Arizona Rookie League East – Second Place : 1.5 Games Behind
