Tigers believe Austin Jackson will adjust, but others not so sure Lynn Henning / The Detroit News ( Source：http://ppt.cc/s!tr ) Last Updated: January 19. 2010 5:07PM Delve into Austin Jackson, the man the Tigers have dubbed as their successor to Curtis Granderson, and the questions begin with a simple query basic to all outfield prospects: Can he hit in the big leagues? Jackson already has answered the deeper concern, every bit as important as hitting, especially for a man who is expected to play center field at Comerica Park. He can play defense. He can track down 400-foot fly balls driven to center and to the power alleys. But that bat. Or, more to the point, that batting stance and stroke. Will it make a 22-year-old athlete a good enough hitter to cut it as an everyday, up-the-middle outfielder who right now ranks as the Tigers' best hope to become the leadoff batter they badly need? Jackson's swing was sturdy enough to hit .300 in 2009 at Triple A, where he continued to shine as the New York Yankees' top prospect. But not everyone seems sure Jackson's front-loaded package will make him anything close to an All-Star-grade hitter in the big leagues, which is what Granderson became. Or, that it will allow the 6-foot-1, 185 pound player to harness his natural power. Swing needs work Steve Carter, a scout for Project Prospect (projectprospect.com), analyzed Jackson's approach and wrote the following: "Jackson gets his front foot down very early, and tries to kick-start his swing by pushing his hips -- two very inefficient moves when combined. The main reason behind getting the front foot down early and 'reacting' -- as Jackson does -- is to limit forward movement and let the ball travel deep into the strike zone. "Unfortunately, for Jackson, this approach results in a two-part swing with poor intent to swing hard, poor upper-body resistance, and him getting caught in-between on off-speed pitches. "He neutralizes the benefits of getting his front foot down early, by shifting too much weight to the foot. This robs him of precious energy and time. Not only does he not have enough force to exert as he should, his weight is displaced, which doesn't allow him enough of a rear hip-load to stay back." Not surprisingly, Jackson's critics do not include the team that traded for him last month. "He hit .300 at Triple A and he uses the whole field," said Dave Dombrowski, the Tigers president and general manager, who engineered December's three-team trade that brought Jackson, and three pitchers, to the Tigers. "He's a rhythm type of hitter," said Dombrowski, meaning Jackson can be streaky. "He's a young athlete who should get stronger. We like his bat. We think he's gonna be a real good big league hitter." Jim Leyland, the Tigers manager, said Monday his reports on Jackson were thumbs-up. They included feedback from Tigers hitting coach Lloyd McClendon, who had spent time studying Jackson's mechanics. "He likes his swing, he says there's nothing wrong with his swing at all," Leyland said. "He's just not generating a lot of power yet, although power is usually the last thing to come. "Mac (McClendon) says he probably needs to develop a little more bat-speed, and when he does, the power will come along. Obviously, there's some work to do. But Mac says he has the foundation for a good swing." Jackson's past is an important window into his 2010 profile. Born and raised in Denton, Texas, he was named by Baseball America a decade ago as the best 12-year-old prospect in the nation. But he also was a terrific basketball player and would have played at Auburn had the Yankees not signed him for $800,000 after drafting him in 2005. Jackson batted .304 in rookie ball, but fell to .260 at low Class A. He zoomed to .345 at high Class A, and then fell to .285 at Double A in 2008 before hitting .300 at Triple A in 2009. Power lacking He has never shown great power (his best was 13 homers in 128 games in 2007). He also struck out 123 times in 132 games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Butch Wynegar, the Yankees' Triple-A hitting coach, said that he expects Jackson to be a legitimate big league hitter. But he did not disagree with Carter and other critics of Jackson's swing. "He still is raw, still has a lot to learn, but he's an intelligent kid and a good athlete -- and he wants to learn," Wynegar said. "I basically told the Yankees at the end of the year, if they were thinking about him being their center fielder this coming year (2010), I didn't know if he was ready yet. "But I know he has a bright future. There are just some things he needs to iron out yet and incorporate to be successful." Wynegar does not disagree with Carter that Jackson's front-loaded swing can be a hindrance. It is also a relatively new development. He had a kick-step start in his earlier years that Reggie Jackson, the great slugger who now works in the Yankees front office, persuaded him to ditch a couple of years ago. He also tends to drop his left shoulder, which is another reason why he hits for little power. "But I love his athleticism and his coachability. He's a great kid, very personable, and he's excited about coming to Detroit," Wynegar said. --

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