Former SF Giants pitcher Jay Jackson designated for assignment by Atlanta

Atlanta designated right-handed pitcher Jay Jackson for assignment on Friday, placing the former SF Giants reliever on waivers.

Marc Delucchi | Sep 17, 2022

Former SF Giants pitcher Jay Jackson designated for assignment by Atlanta /

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Former SF Giants reliever Jay Jackson was designated for assignment by Atlanta on Friday to create a space on the 40-man roster for Ozzie Albies. Jackson was a reliever in the Giants organization last season and was traded to Atlanta for cash and a possible player to be named later (San Francisco has not received a player).

Jackson was expected to compete for a spot in Atlanta's Opening Day bullpen in spring training, but a lat strain kept him out for the first months of the season. When Jackson returned, he was excellent at Triple-A, recording a 1.83 ERA with 21 strikeouts and just three walks in 19.2 innings (19 appearances).

Atlanta briefly promoted Jackson to the big-league roster in August, but he made just two appearances before he was optioned back to Triple-A. In 1.1 innings pitched, Jackson allowed no runs on one hit with one strikeout.

SF Giants pitcher Jay Jackson throws a pitch. (2021) — Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

The Giants signed Jackson to a minor-league deal prior to the start of the 2021 season. Jackson had an excellent track record as a Triple-A reliever and had been solid in his brief big-league opportunities. However, his most impressive performance was in Japan from 2016-2018.

Much like his time in Atlanta, Jackson missed the early part of last season with an injury but immediately dominated Triple-A upon his return. He allowed just two runs on five hits and one walk over 14 innings pitched (10 appearances) with 24 strikeouts in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

Eventually, recognizing his standout performance, the Giants promoted him to their big-league roster. Jackson quickly emerged as a fan favorite for his firey mentality on the mound, helping San Francisco escape many tight jams. Jackson was an effective middle reliever with the Giants, posting a 3.74 ERA in 21.2 innings with 28 strikeouts and 12 walks.

Given Jackson's prolonged track record of excellent Triple-A performance and solid MLB numbers, it would be surprising to see him go unclaimed. Jackson is under team control for at least the next four seasons.

Given the SF Giants current bloated 40-man roster, it might be surprising to see them claim Jay Jackson off waivers. Granted, the team clearly needs to shake up their bullpen after an ugly 2022. If Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi sees Jackson as a viable big-league reliever, a reunion could be on the horizon.

Published Sep 17, 2022

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).