We continue our series on ranking the top 10 minor-league prospects for the Texas Rangers.
Ranking: 3
Player: Luke Jackson
Position: RHP
Draft selection: 2010, supplemental first-round pick
Team: Triple-A Round Rock
2014 season: Frisco: 8-2, 3.02 ERA, 83.1 IP, 58 H, 0.98 WHIP. Round Rock: 1-3, 10.35 ERA, 40 IP, 56 H, 2.10 WHIP
Positives: Dominated Double-A
Negatives: Struggled with the promotion to Triple-A
When will he be here?: He will start the year in Triple-A, but there's an expectation he should be with the big club in 2015. Can he surprise the club and steal a spot in the rotation in 2015? The Rangers are bullish on him and are waiting to see if he can make the adjustment from Double-A to Triple-A. He has a good fastball and breaking ball and is close.
What they're saying: "Jackson has a fearless approach and has cleaned up his delivery, though he'll have to continue to refine his control and command. He has the stuff to be a mid-rotation starter, but if he doesn't throw more strikes, he might become a late-inning reliever." -- MLB.com
"Jackson changes speeds well. He'll have at-bats where he goes from a mid-90s heater to a low-70s off-speed pitch before climbing the velocity ladder again. When able to command the entire arsenal, hitters appear uncomfortable in the box. Jackson's willingness to start at-bats with off-speed stuff only amplifies this. Jackson has also used a slider in the past, but has been told to scrap it for now. At best his slider was a fringe offering, and it is not going to be more than a change of pace pitch if it is brought back into his repertoire down the line." -- ROTO Scouting line
The series: