There was a time when the stolen base, and speed in general, had become a bit of an afterthought. In the PED fueled times of the late 1990’s though the early to mid 2000’s, the true speedster of the 1980’s had vanished like the mullet and Kip Winger’s career. Home runs were all the rage, and the idea of getting on base was more important than being able to steal the next bag.
However, when the crackdown on PEDs began in the mid 2000’s, that mindset began to change. Now, we are seeing players like this century’s Billy Hamilton, Jarrod Dyson and Dee Gordon run rampant on the basepaths. Teams like the Kansas City Royals have made the speed element a large part of their offensive approach. Naturally, this is trickling down to the minor league level as well, where there are impressive speedsters such as the Seattle Mariners Drew Jackson.
Drafted in the fifth round of the 2015 MLB Amateur Draft, Jackson has literally hit the ground running for the Everett AquaSox in the Northwest League. In his 49 games since being selected, Jackson has stolen 40 bases while being caught only three times. Despite playing for that brief span of time, Jackson is leading all of minor league baseball in steals, and has five more than Ricardo Ferrera and Michael Lang, both of whom are tied for second.
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Yet, Drew Jackson is more than a threat on the basepaths. He has produced a .387/.460/.484 batting line, hitting two home runs and ten doubles. His .387 batting average is second in the minors, and Jackson ranks tenth in on base percentage. Jackson has also displayed a solid batting eye, drawing 25 walks while striking out 28 times in 217 plate appearances. That type of patience and ability to get on base would certainly lend itself perfectly for a leadoff hitter.
Defensively, Jackson has performed well at short, making only eight errors in 198 chances. Yet, Jackson was not considered to have the range desired for a shortstop, and it was thought that a move to third could occur at some point. One would have to wonder if, given his speed, Jackson could get a look in the outfield as well at some point.
Even though there are questions as to whether or not Jackson can hit consistently in the minors, and eventually at the major league level, his excellent speed may be enough to improve his production. As we have seen with players like Hamilton, as long as the ball is in play, there is a true possibility that a base hit can come of it. While Jackson may not be Hamilton, his speed could be enough to carve out a role.
The days of the speedster are returning once again, and it appears as though the Seattle Mariners have found their own in Drew Jackson.