Austin Jackson changing his swing

[kingofdetroit57]

AJax is 25, makes nothing, and has a +5.2 WAR in his two seasons. Why is everybody so quick to want to replace him?

 

[jmakula87]

AJax is 25, makes nothing, and has a +5.2 WAR in his two seasons. Why is everybody so quick to want to replace him?

I'm not sure if everybody is the right word there.....more like just a few people that don't really understand how a baseball team is run.

Edit: I'm not sure how I wrote the word write instead of right lol.

 

[Thumb]

AJax is 25, makes nothing, and has a +5.2 WAR in his two seasons. Why is everybody so quick to want to replace him?

I think you have a few people with tunnel vision (by few, I mean one) who only look at 2011.

Ajax was fairly good in his rookie season, but after 1 poor season nobody should be thinking about getting rid of him, nobody with any common sense anyhow.

I'll stipulate that he's not an ideal leadoff hitter, but nobody else on the team would be any better, and to think of replacing his glove on a team thats weak link is it's defense, is insane.

Hellifno is a good Tigers fan, he just never gives up on an idea once it takes hold, that's why they build short busses.

 

[Rebbiv]

OK...here we go. The Fielding Bible is made up of certain metric stats which can be biased, especially for OFer. For example, HR saves. How does a LFer in Fenway (37 ft) get the same opportunities for HR saves most others with only 8 ft.

Jackson benefits from the deepest CF (including power alleys) in all of baseball. Most CF play shallow enough to be able to get back on most FLY balls, not necessarily the LINE DRIVES. You would be amazed how much 15 feet means. Add in the fence height and all things are not equal.

I would put him in the top 10 as far as defense. But, I wouldn't necessarily put him in the top 5 just yet. His UZR/150 puts him 10th in 2011. While the Defensive Runs Saves has him 2nd.

Now, offensively, 2010 was an aberration based on BABIP and many, many people predicted a regress for 2011. If he has in fact changed his mechanics, then there is hope that he will be at least average offensively.

Now, traditionally speaking, a team leadoff hitter comes from CF, 2B or SS (occasionally LF). With Jackson in CF and Peralta at SS, that would basically leave 2B as the only other place where DET could find a leadoff hitter. Jamey Carrol would have been great, but that didn't happen. And there isn't much else out there. So our hopes is tied to Jackson for now. I can live with that, providing we keep Inge, Kelly and Laird away from starting for any periods of time.

 

[hellifino]

all done eating paint chips, and the short yellow bus is parked outside... I was on the A.J. bandwagon his rookie year as well, and hoped for nothing but the best for him, but how quickly some of you forget what a terrible playoff he had last year. and evidently some of you didn't get a chance to see him play last year on a everyday basis, the guy was just plain pathetic at the plate, if he didn't go on a tear the last 1/4 of the season he wouldn't have made it above the Mendoza line. I can live with him in CF for us because he is young and will only get better in the field, but his hitting is terrible, there's a reason he strikes out so much, it's called having poor hand/eye co-ordination, no one with his athletic abilities should ever strike-out as much. so for me to get pumped up just because he's changing his batting stance is absurd.

 

[turok]

Perhaps this will be AJax' last season to prove himself as being worthy of the leadoff spot, BUT IMO, with Prince's payroll-bulging signing, the Tigers are that much more unlikely to sign a halfway decent, above average, much less a stud 2B from FA next off-season (who can also bat leadoff), so a trade during or after theseason may become necessary if the leadoff position is to be manned by another player. Other than resigning Peralta in '13 to a one-two year contract and sliding him to 2B, or not resigning him, then acquiring a SS that can hit leadoff, where else on the IF will the leadoff batter come from? LF is likely the only position in the OF corners, since unless Boesch proves to be DL prone or he slumps Dunn-like all season with his lefty bat.

Maybe the Tigers should give Dirks a try @ leadoff during ST as a fallback if AJax can't cut it even with his revamped batting mechanics. Can't think of anyone else that would be closer to suitable on their present ST roster, and who would have a better chance of making the eventual trip north.

 

[Mitchrapp]

Regardless what numbers you look at AJ had one fine year and one not so good year. He is young enough to deserve the benefit of the doubt. Maybe his swing change helps. And regards to fielding bible, UZR/150 or defensive runs saved, he's a good CF. Who cares if he's top 3 or top 20, who else you got there? Tell us someone who is better that we reasonably can get instead of bitching about a spot that is on the low end of problems.