As part of their three-way trade with the Diamondbacks this off-season, the Yankees and Tigers swapped center-fielders. Detroit decided to go with rookie Austin Jackson as their starting CF and leadoff man, while the Yankees would move forward with the veteran Curtis Granderson.
The Tigers Need To Move Austin Jackson Off The Lead-Off Spot
On May 3rd, Jackson was hitting .377 and had an OPS of .954. Granderson, meanwhile, had endured a miserable April and was on the disabled list. The Yankees looked foolish, while the Tigers looked brilliant. Jackson appeared to be one of the best young outfielders in the game, the rare hyped Yankee prospect that was actually panning out in a trade.
However, that was the high point of the season for Jackson. In 34 games since, Jackson has hit just .250/.287/.316 (avg/obp/slg). The Tigers have hit Jackson in the leadoff spot for each of his 57 starts this season, and he hasn’t been getting on base for over a month now. A leadoff hitter with a .287 OBP is something only teams like the Royals do. For what it’s worth, the ZIPS projection system hates Jackson for the rest of the season, expecting him to hit just .263 without many walks or power. The Tigers were unhappy with Granderson’s strikeouts, so they replaced him with a hitter who strikes out 26.8% of the time.
Granderson isn’t having a dream season in New York, but he has posted an .864 OPS since returning from the DL. Granderson remains older than Jackson, and considerably more expensive. Surely, the Tigers have noticed that Jackson has been an out-machine for half the season now. If the Tigers hope to stay within shouting distance of the division-leading Twins, they need to get a better hitter at the top of the order, before it’s too late.
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