Two Tigers recognized in Top 50 Prospects

Two Tigers recognized in Top 50 Prospects
Jackson, Turner ready to tap into unlimited potential

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

01/27/10 9:00 PM EST

DETROIT -- Austin Jackson could have followed in the footsteps of great Georgia Tech point guards Mark Price, Kenny Anderson, Stephon Marbury and Jarrett Jack.

His game on the court earned him comparisons to, among others, former Detroit Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups.

Once he chose baseball over basketball, he was in line to try to follow in the tradition of Yankees center fielders such as Bernie Williams.

Instead, he gets to follow another beloved former Detroit athlete, Curtis Granderson.

Doesn't sound much easier, does it?

"The main thing I've been hearing is, 'You've got big shoes to fill,'" Jackson said during TigerFest last weekend. "But I heard that with the Yankees also. Some of them were expecting [Mickey] Mantle or something like that."

Mantle's a bit much, but without a doubt, Jackson comes highly regarded. He checked in at 38th among MLB.com's Top 50 Prospects, announced Wednesday night.

At least initially, it might be a no-win scenario, trying to please people expecting Granderson. He didn't choose it. The Tigers chose him -- insisted on getting him, really, if they were going to agree to send Granderson to the Yankees. When they did it, they knew they'd be trying to replace a star in Detroit.

But now that Jackson has his shot at the Major Leagues, he's going to try to make his own identity.

No, he isn't Granderson. He can't be expected to be. But the hope is that Detroit gets a fair chance to get to know Austin Jackson.

"I'm hoping that people will just see that I'm trying to make a name for myself," Jackson said. "He's a great player. I can't say that anymore than I have. But I'm just kind of looking to step in and make a name for myself and be competitive."

His identity among baseball's top prospects is pretty well known. He's the highest-ranked Tiger on the list this year, and the highest-ranked Tigers position player since Cameron Maybin three years ago.

The other Tiger on the list was right-hander Jacob Turner at No. 42. Last year's first-round Draft pick became Detroit's top pitching prospect before throwing a competitive pitch in a pro game, though he made one appearance in the Tigers' fall instructional league.

Turner, still just 18 years old, has great expectations, but at least a couple years of development before he nears the big leagues. From the moment Jackson became a Tiger, he became Detroit's top choice to man center field in Comerica Park, the old home of the player they traded to get him.

To a man, Tigers officials believe Jackson, who turns 23 on Feb. 1, can handle it.

His potential is abundant. For pure athleticism, he might be the best the Tigers have had in their system since Maybin. He isn't blistering fast, but like Granderson, his speed is considered well above average. His quickness in the field is strong, too.

What makes Jackson stand out from other former multi-sport athletes is his ability to mesh his talent with strong instincts. He thinks like a baseball player. That especially goes on defense, where his first decisions complement his first-step quickness.

"One thing that I work on in the offseason is footwork and agility, things like that, to get the ability to see the ball and get a good read on it," Jackson told Tigers broadcaster Dan Dickerson earlier this week on WXYT-FM 97.1. "A big thing to me is first-step quickness and just taking the right route to the ball."

His defense is considered strong enough that team officials have no doubt he can handle his new job defensively right away, despite a big outfield to cover and two corner outfielders whose ranges are diminishing in their mid-30s.

"I do not think he will miss one beat defensively, at all," said Dave Dombrowski, Tigers president, CEO and general manager. "He has a good throwing arm, too. He has good instincts. He's not a flyer, not a burner, but he runs well."

Said Jackson: "I'm looking forward to the challenge. I've played in some big parks before, and I don't think it'll be a problem."

The big question for the Tigers will be his offense, and where it fits in the order. He is not projected to be a prototypical leadoff guy, not in terms of working pitchers and stolen bases, but he has the chance to develop his power.

"I think, like a lot of young hitters, he has more pop than has presented itself," Dombrowski said. "But he also didn't play a lot of baseball at times because he was a two-sport athlete. So I think he can come up and contribute from an offensive perspective. He's got pop, it's just that he doesn't know how to do it all the time to get the bat head out.

"Now, first-year players, they're fighting to get through at times, so I don't think we'll see all that right now. But I think he will be a solid player for us, will probably strike out more times than we want him to at the very beginning. But I look for good things."

Perhaps the big initial challenge isn't determining what kind of player he is, but who he isn't.

Even Granderson realizes the spot Jackson faces. And as Granderson said goodbye to many of his fans at his annual charity basketball game Sunday night, he had some empathy and some simple advice for his successor.

"The big thing is, he didn't ask for the pressure," Granderson said. "I mean, he wants to play. I understand that, and that's what we all want to do. And he hasn't had big league time yet, so when he goes into it, he's fresh. Everything's going to be new.

"Everybody, they just want to see you work hard out there. That's it. Give 110 percent, and I learned that really fast. The fans just want to see that. If you do that, they're going to fall in love with you."

That shouldn't be a problem.

"I hear it's a lot of tradition," Jackson told Dickerson. "I'm looking forward to getting the opportunity to get out there and wear the D on my chest."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.