The Rays re-signed catcher Alex Jackson to a new minor league contract, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. He’ll head to spring training as a non-roster invitee and compete for a roster spot alongside Rene Pinto — the only catcher currently on Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster.
Jackson, 28 next month, was the sixth overall draft pick by the Mariners back in 2014 and for some time ranked among the game’s top prospects. He’s become an oft-moved journeyman, however, spending time with four organizations over the past three seasons (Braves, Marlins, Brewers, Rays). In parts of four Major League campaigns, he’s appeared in 66 games and batted .141/.243/.227 in 185 trips to the plate. He spent the bulk of the ’23 season with the Brewers’ Triple-A club but was traded to the Rays on Aug. 1. He appeared in only 14 Triple-A games after the swap due to a shoulder injury, however.
While he’s yet to have any sustained success at the plate in the big leagues, Jackson has posted a far more palatable .246/.326/.525 batting line with 60 home runs in 964 plate appearances at the Triple-A level (spread across parts of five seasons). Strikeouts have been an issue for him both in the upper minors (29.7%) and particularly in the big leagues (48.1%).
Given the lack of options behind the plate on the Rays’ roster, Jackson figures to be one of many candidates brought in over the next several months. Pinto himself is hardly an established MLB-caliber backstop. Though he grades as a quality defender, the 27-year-old has all of 188 MLB plate appearances under his belt, during which he’s produced a .235/.255/.399 batting line with eight home runs and a grisly 36.7% strikeout rate.
The stove is getting hot now!!!
Look out now, we got Alex Action Jackson as our 3rd string catcher!
I think he is now the 2nd string catcher…but surely the Rays have another target ?
I’d imagine so, they like Pinto but I can see them brining in a left handed platoon partner.
Yay. Problem solved. This is why my Rays never achieve in the postseason…rather than go for the player that might be the difference maker, they go for the cheap player. Jackson is cheap. I am sure he plays a mean defense…but after score one run in two postseasons (or did we actually get two?), maybe that isn’t the problem. They whiffed on Mejia, I get it; they put all their eggs in the Bethancourt basket for whatever reason. And now Rene Pinto is the answer. Maybe he exceeds my expectations…but history tells me otherwise. Maybe Kelly Shoppach is still available? Jose Molina? Dioner Navarro???
Jackson fits the bill for the Ray’s data geeks; good defensive metrics trumps high K-rate and low batting average.