Mariners take high school star Alex Jackson with No. 6 selection
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Mariners hope they’ve acquired a hard-hitting, middle-of-the-order bat of the future.
Thursday they selected Alex Jackson, a high school catcher and outfielder from Rancho Bernardo High School in Escondido, California, with the sixth overall choice of Major League Baseball’s amateur draft.
“It’s one of those feelings that is hard to explain in words – the emotions that run through your body,” Jackson said via conference call. “It’s an honor to be considered with the other top players who have been chosen in the draft. I’m truly blessed.”
Jackson, 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, was considered the top high school hitting prospect in the country.
“We like his (hitting) ability mixed with his power,” said Tom McNamara, Mariners director of amateur scouting. “He’s not just a one-dimensional hitter. He’s a combination of both, and we’ve been scouting him for the last three years – all summer, fall and spring.”
Jackson, who has played mostly catcher the past few seasons, will start his pro career in the outfield. With Mike Zunino entrenched as the catcher of the future, the Mariners envision Jackson as a corner outfielder.
“We’ve seen him play multiple positions but we think down the road that outfield is going to be his best position,” McNamara said. “He’s a pretty good catcher, too. He’s an athletic kid. He can do a lot of different things.”
Jackson has no problem with moving to the outfield.
“I just want to get out there and play baseball, whether it’s in the outfield, or behind the plate,” he said. “I’m looking forward to going out there, having a good time and playing hard.”
General manager Jack Zduriencik watched Jackson play once and came away impressed.
“Good-looking kid,” Zduriencik said. “He’s got an outstanding arm. He could catch, if you wanted him to catch. But I do think in the scenario here, with a young catcher in the big leagues with us now, and this kid’s bat potential … (we’ll play) him in the outfield to start with. … We can always put him back behind the plate.”
Jackson hit .400 (40 for 100) with seven doubles, four triples, 11 home runs and 31 runs batted in in 35 games during his senior season despite teams pitching around him. He finished with a 1.459 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS).
“We look at him as an advanced high school player because the high school baseball program that he’s at is one of the top ones in California,” McNamara said. “He already has a feel of what it’s like to be on the road.”
Jackson had verbally committed to play for Oregon. Asked when he would decide whether to sign with the Mariners or the Ducks, he replied: “Right now, I have no idea about that.”
The Mariners also had the final choice of the first day of the draft, selecting at No. 74. They continued to go with right-handed hitting power, taking Canadian slugger Gareth Morgan of the Blyth Academy in Toronto.
At 6-4, and a chiseled 220 pounds, Morgan is a physical specimen, who drew comparisons to Marlins power hitter Giancarlo Stanton. But he’s considered to be very raw at age 18.