Austin Jackson

2010 certainly seems to have provided one of baseball's most dynamic draft classes in years. Every corner of the Majors seems to have itself a prominent and productive rookie.

Whether its speed, power, consistent hitting, or power pitching; every base seems to be covered.

Here's to the rookies of 2010. If an All-Star team was strictly comprised of MLB rookies, it would probably look something like this...

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The Tigers head into this 2010 season with championship aspirations and a talented roster, but they have also relied heavily on the support of a few Tigers.

The club has recently floundered offensively, allowing more runs than they have scored. Most recently, the Tigers were shut out by the subpar Chicago White Sox.

In terms of pitching, the only bright spot has been the Tiger bullpen.

In a fairly unsurprising move, Bud Selig has announced that he will not in fact reverse the blown call by umpire Jim Joyce that cost Armando Galarraga the 21st perfect game in the history of Major League Baseball. 

Selig did say "that Major League Baseball will look at expanded replay and umpiring". This is an improvement over the current system in place, but it doesn't change the fact that a young pitcher has been robbed of baseball immortality. 

Last night, as I was sitting at home, I saw the news come across that Ken Griffey Jr., one of the best players in the game, at least in this era, had retired.

I remembered watching his first years in Seattle and being so awestruck by not only his effortless left-handed swing but also by the speed he had in the outfield. He made highlight reel play after highlight reel play that will continue to be watched by the next generation of fans.

Not only that, but he survived the steroid era and proved that a player can be great without using illegal supplements to do it.

The Detroit Tigers are fresh off two wins in M.C. Hammer's old stomping grounds—Oakland, Cal.

Let me preface this by saying that I am not Nostradamus. I cannot predict the future and will never claim to be able to.

Now that we have that out of the way I can tell you that Austin Jackson will not win Rookie of the Year.

So far in 2010, Jackson has put together a very impressive resume. In 30 games, he has scored 26 runs and stolen six bases while sporting a fancy triple-slash line of .371/.420/.508. Not too bad considering he is currently head and shoulders above any rookie in the American League right now.

New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman hit the headlines with a "blockbuster" trade in the offseason that brought Curtis Granderson to the Bronx.

The Yankees gave up one-time first round draft pick, starting pitcher, Ian Kennedy; left handed reliever, Phil Coke; and top prospect outfielder, Austin Jackson, to the Detroit Tigers.

Coke is 3-0 in Detroit coming out of their pen.

And if you haven't checked on AJax lately, he's playing pretty well!

Less than six months into his Tigers career, Jackson is working to dilute Detroit's memory of former fan favorite Curtis Granderson.

From day one, management hoped the 23-year-old would fill Granderson's role: to man Comerica Park's cavernous center field and set the table for the big boppers.

Jackson has quickly surpassed the expectations thrust upon him.

Last spring, Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson dubbed him the best athlete in the New York Yankees organization—and there was plenty of evidence to back that up.

Last Week: 2-4
This Week: at LAA (4/19-22); at Tex (4/23-25)

So what happened?

The Tigers’ first butt-kicking of the season came on Friday night, when the Seattle Mariners had their way with Jeremy Bonderman. The pitching was uneven all week, the defense shaky at times, and it all added up to a 2-4 week that the Tigers deserved; in fact, they were perilously close to going 1-5, if it wasn't for a rousing 6-5 win on Tuesday (coming back from a 5-0 deficit).

Who does Austin Jackson think he is?

I tell you, these kids nowadays.

Someone should teach this rookie some manners. He’s played about a week and a half in the big leagues, and you’d think he owns the place.

It all started on Opening Day, in Kansas City.

The 23-year-old whippersnapper of a leadoff hitter and center fielder for the Tigers was in the box against Zack Greinke. Yes, THAT Zack Greinke—the one who’s stingier in giving up runs than Jack Benny was with his money.