Conor Jackson

[da_big_kid_94]

Has anybody actually seen him this year? I'm looking at his numbers from FanGraphs and I'm having a tough time assimilating what I'm seeing. He's hitting 27% line drives but a BABIP of only .270? His batting eye seems as good as ever (more walks than Ks). He's never been a big power guy, and now he goes from Hitter Heaven to Hitter Hell. FanGraphs specs his "line drives" are bloops more than screamers. Does he look like he has no snap in his swing? I'm aware he may be platooned once Coco makes it back - but I'm just wondering if there's something else wrong here.

[Todd Zola]

While I have seen some selected Jackson at bats, mostly while Haren is pitching since I tend to watch games involving pitchers I either own or like, I have not seen nearly enough to make even an uneducated analysis. Perry lives in the Phoenix area, I will ask him to check in here.

But I can put on the glasses with the masking tape holding them together and put the calculator in my shirt pocket and go further into geek mode and embellish dbk's numbers.

Using Baseball-reference.com, if you look at the percentage of CJ's batted balls that go for hits, you will see he is well below the league average on each. When a guy is below league average on grounders, some attribute that to lack of speed, but it is usually more than that, he usually has hit fewer seeing eye grounders or perhaps as dbk suggests, grounders not struck well enough to make it through the infield. The low percentage of flyballs can be an indication he is not hitting gap shots. What is most curious to me is his percentage of line drives that go for hits is quite low. Again, is he hitting a lot of 'at-em' balls or are there more soft liners than clothesline shots? Baseball Info Solution actually tracks this but it is not available on free web sites. Anyway, here is the data.

Code: Select all

	          2010	career	LG AVG 
grounders	0.154	0.239	0.230
line drives	0.647	0.714	0.722
fly balls	0.104	0.117	0.141

If forced to make a guess. the data definitely leans to Jackson making a bunch of soft contact. Can a guy really be that unlucky with all 3 batted ball types?

Usually when a guy is unlucky, his percentage of line drive hits is low. Jackson is historically lower than HIS BASELINE on all 3 types.

[Skin Blues]

I was gonna take a stab at him in my AL only, now I'm not so sure. He only has to be better than one of Kotchman/Blalock/Valencia which really shouldn't be that hard. About who is he on par with the rest of the way this year?

[Todd Zola]

actually Kotchman is a pretty good comp, in terms of both performance and potential time.

Are you sure CoJax has 1B/CI eligibility? His primary position has been OF this season and last.

[da_big_kid_94]

Might be a current year one game league.

[Captain Hook]

.....you rang?

First Jackson only qualifies at OF (three games at 1B this year and six all of last year)

Second - the Kotchman comparison is very good.....Lyle Overbay lite....BUT Kotchman has been so bad in Seattle this year (after a good start has completely fallen apart) that he only plays a few games a week - when Mike Carp is starting in front of you, you are not hitting well.

BUT, some in the Oakland organization have liked him for a while so he does get a chance to start over - initially at 1B, and then perhaps sharing AB for LF/1B/DH. Not great but in a deep AL league, may well be better than what is on the FA list.....just don't overpay

[Todd Zola]

Perry's cyber-ears must have been burning, I was just about to ping him.

The Kotchman comp also took into consideration both "should" be near full time but may be in a playing time crunch. Carp is not doing much, I expect Kotchman to return to being a 5 game a week player soon enough.

What Oakland does when Crisp is ready will impact CoJax.

[Skin Blues]

I also have Crisp. And Eric Chavez (stashed in the DL slot until he retires). And yeah, only OF for Jackson. I shouldn't have relied on my memory for his 1B qualification. Vladdy should be OF eligible by next week so my utility spot will be freed up, which is nice. Now, how badly do I want another marginal hitter with uncertain playing time? I'll toss some figures to the 8-ball and see what it says.