Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Cubs Agree to Terms with Brett Jackson.

Thanks to MLBTR for this one-

According to an MLB.com press release, the Cubs have agreed to terms with first round pick Brett Jackson. The 20-year-old outfielder bats left-handed and received praise from Baseball America on his athleticism. The Cubs selected him with their first pick in the draft, 31st overall.

Jackson should be a good guy for the outfield in the next 3 years or so. Another guy I am awaiting to see if the Cubs signed is Austin Kirk. He is the scouting reports on him-

Consistent lefty that was dominant this year at the high school level with an overpower fastball with late movement. Throws in the low 90s, but upped his stock a bit by being clocked as high as 95 mph in the state semifinals. Sharp breaking ball coupled with a solid changeup give him three quality pitches to keep hitters off balance. Struck out 111 with only 21 walks in 62 innings this spring.- coachesaid.com

Austin Kirk- LHP 6'1", 205 lbs, 19 yrs old, bats left, throws left: This kid played for a high school baseball powerhouse in Oklahoma that has produced several professional players. He posted a record of 9-1 0.45 ERA with 21 walks versus 111 K's in 62 IP. What I like about this is it does not appear the kid was abused, because he was on a good team (unlike Kerry Wood, who was the bread and butter of his team in the playoffs). Has overpowering fastball (at least on high school terms) that was clocked at 95 MPH in state semi-finals, as well as a sharp breaking ball and solid change-up. This might be a difficult sign, as he's already signed a letter of intent with the University of Oklahoma. An important note ... is he's also a good hitter too, hitting .400+ with 5 HR this year when he wasn't pitching. So, he has several things going for him ... a very polished arm, playing for a baseball powerhouse in high school, not having his arm abused, AND apparently he's a really good kid with a solid head on his shoulders. There was a 70 year old that kind of adopted the team as his own, and was a huge fan of Kirk's...It's almost like a Babe Ruth story. The guy was on his deathbed still rooting for the team, and recently passed away, and Kirk had given him his old jersey, a signed ball, and their state championship medal. When he was buried, the guy had on Kirk's jersey, the ball, and medal. It was a very heartwarming story, and I hope we can sign a kid of that type of ability AND character.

Austin Kirk video



2 comments:

waldo7239117 said...

I gave MLBTR the link for Brett Jackson.

I cant wait for DJ Laminu to get signed, he is lighting up the CWS.

Nick I Cub Fan said...

MLBTR say Cubs are trying to reacquire DEROSA