Friday, February 22, 2008
Girardi Impressed by Some Youngsters
Pitchers Joe Girardi was impressed with today:
Mike Mussina
Joba Chamberlain
Sean Henn
Steven Jackson (”His sinker was exciting”)
Acquired in the trade that sent Randy Johnson back to Arizona, the 26 year-old Jackson split 2007 between AAA and AA, shuffling between the rotation and the pen. The 6’5″ 215 lb righty struggled at AAA, posting a 5.87 ERA in 18 games (11 starts). Demoted to AA, Jackson seemed to find his rhythm as a reliever, with a 3.86 ERA in 21 IP while holding opponents to a 0.256 AVG. The Yankees sent him to the Arizona Fall League to hone his skills as a reliever but Jackson seemingly took another step back, with an ERA of 5.63, a WHIP of 1.75, and an opponents’ AVG of 0.304 in 16 IP. His AFL rate of 10.69 K/9 is encouraging, as is his propensity for inducing ground outs, but it will take a highly impressive spring to keep him from the minors.I expected this from Penn. I've always been high on him and I know Girardi will use him the right way and get the most out of him. Look for him to make the team and have a big year. He has some good stuff.
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