Jhalan Jackson Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Jhalan Livingston Jackson
Born 02/12/1993 in Winter Haven, FL
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 240 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Florida Southern
Drafted in the 7th round (213th overall) by the New York Yankees in 2015 (signed for $100,000).

View Draft Report

Jackson began his college career at Hillsborough (Fla.) CC before transferring to Florida Southern for his junior season. He excelled for the Moccasins this season, as he hit .417/.476/.857 and set a school record with 20 home runs. Listed at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Jackson has a powerful righthanded bat. He fits best defensively as a corner outfielder.

Top Rankings

The Yankees were familiar with Jackson entering the 2015 draft cycle because he played two seasons at Hillsborough (Fla.) CC, less than 30 miles from the Yankees' minor league complex in Tampa. Jackson transferred to Florida Southern as a junior and obliterated Division II competition, ranking among national leaders in home runs (ninth with 20), batting (30th, .417) and slugging (eighth, .857). That was good enough for the Yankees, who chose him in the seventh round, signed him for $100,000 and sent him to short-season Staten Island. Managers around the New York-Penn League raved about Jackson, first for his sculpted body and then for the well above-average raw power it produces. His throwing arm ranks as a plus tool. Jackson has shown signs of adjusting to the better breaking balls he's seen as a pro, and he's an average runner once he gets going. He has the ceiling of an everyday right fielder, and he'll continue to work on adding polish in 2016 at low Class A Charleston.

Jackson transferred to Florida Southern from Hillsborough (Fla.) CC and made an immediate impact his junior year, setting a school record with 20 home runs and slashing a monstrous .417/.476/.857. Those numbers expectedly came down to earth in pro ball, but Jackson's power is a legitimate plus tool. "You just don't see kids right out of college with this kind of raw power," Staten Island manager Patrick Osborn said. "If you were going to construct a right fielder, you would build him to look like this kid." Jackson has profile right-field tools, with a plus arm and at least average speed, though his long strides can slow his home-to-first times. He takes good angles and should be an average defender. Jackson's plate approach is a bit raw, though he showed the aptitude to make pitch-to-pitch adjustments, especially when he's shown breaking pitches early. At times, though, he can be too caught up in looking offspeed and become susceptible to velocity inside.