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CHICAGO – The process was supposed to be smoother for Jeremiah Jackson.
Entering the 2018 MLB Draft, the Alabama high schooler was the No. 57 prospect in the class, according to MLB Pipeline. They noted that the shortstop had been starting at that position for his high school team since the seventh grade, winning two state championships in the process.
His upside was high enough for the Angels to make him the 57th pick in that year’s draft.
Jackson hit the ground running with a .939 OPS in 65 games in rookie ball in 2019. In 2021, he advanced to Single-A, and finished that minor league season with an OPS over .900, too.
But then, in Double-A, he hit a road block.
The eighth-best prospect in the Angels’ system entering 2022, Jackson hit just .215 for the Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas that year. He didn’t earn a promotion to Triple-A.
In 2023, Jackson was traded to the Mets organization, but still could not work his way out of Double-A. The next season, his OPS dropped all the way down to .618 even though he remained at the same minor league level.
By November 2024, the former second-round pick was a free agent, and no longer a highly regarded prospect in the rankings.
Later that month, the Orioles brought him in on a minor-league contract, and he was set to start his 2025 campaign at the same level that had gotten the best of him for years: Double-A.
This time, though, something was different.
“Obviously, everybody wants to be at the big leagues, Triple-A, they want to be at the next level,” Jackson said. “I think, going back, a lot of times, I kind of got in my head, and I think I was in my own way. But this year, I kind of took a different approach.”
That approach involved more of looking in than out. Just not in the box.
“The past couple years, I’ve seen a lot of my guys that I played with and played against be in the bigs, and I was still in Double-A,” he said. “So, for me, it was just more so a little bit of feeling sorry for myself.
"Just kind of getting a little bit older and realizing it’s a blessing to be able to play, I think a lot of that kind of helped me this year to not necessarily look at all this stuff around me, but more so, just be where my feet are. Just try to win every day, win every pitch, win every at-bat.”
Jackson improved on his 2024 numbers, and dramatically cut his strikeout rate. Baltimore promoted him to Triple-A Norfolk at the beginning of June.
From there, finally having graduated from a level in which he played 373 career games, Jackson took off.
In 40 games with the Norfolk Tides, the infielder hit .377 with a slugging percentage north of .670 and a 1.073 OPS.
“Once I got to Triple-A, I was like ‘Whoa, this is kind of what I’ve been wanting for a while.’ So, I just really wanted to put my best foot forward and get in the box and compete,” Jackson said. “When you’re in Double-A over and over and over and over again, guys don’t expect you to do much. I didn’t have any expectations, so I just kind of said ‘Screw it, I’m gonna go up there, compete, and try to be the best player I could be.’”
Those spectacular Triple-A numbers, coupled with an active trade deadline in Baltimore, helped Jackson finally get the call to the big leagues. No longer would the former second-round pick look around at all the names of the members of his draft class that had made the major leagues: he was among the group.
Not only did Jackson get the call, but he’s started all three games at Wrigley Field. This afternoon, he moved up in the lineup to the five spot. Still, though, he’s keeping his lessons from Double-A in mind: to be where his feet are.
“Honestly, I got the call, and I was just excited to be here,” he said. “Excited to be around the guys, be in the big leagues.”
Everyone’s journey looks different. For some, the path is quick. And for others, it includes 373 Double-A games. But Jackson is here, contributing for Baltimore, and hoping to help them win a series against one of the majors' best teams.
Breadcrumbs from the skipper
Ryan Mountcastle will probably not be joining the Orioles in Philadelphia tomorrow, according to interim manager Tony Mansolino.
“Sometimes it’s plus or minus a couple days” from the target date, the interim skipper said. But, the hamstring is “great.”
There are no updates on Zach Eflin quite yet, but he did receive a shot. More information to come.
Kyle Bradish gets the start for the Norfolk Tides this afternoon, and Mansolino indicated that the Orioles will take full advantage of that rehab time allotted.
“Understanding where we’re at in the season and understanding the importance of Kyle Bradish, we’ll be very … Not cautious, but conservative with him.”
