Alex Jackson: Former First-Rounder Flashing Early Signs of Life in Minnesota
Alex Jackson has been on WaiverScout's radar since early June — and after two consecutive "deprioritize" classifications, we're upgrading him to Watch. The signal has shifted. Not enough to act on yet, but enough that you should know his name before your leaguemates do.
What Changed
The short version: Jackson is hitting the ball harder and striking out less. His 7-day wOBA has climbed to .305, up from .260 over 30 days. His strikeout rate has dropped from 33.3% over that 30-day window to 27.3% in the last seven days — and if you zoom out to 14 days, it's even better at 21.1%. That's a meaningful swing in plate discipline, even in a small sample.
His last five games tell the story. After going hitless in back-to-back games on June 13 and 15, Jackson exploded for a 3-for-5 line on June 16. And the June 11 doubleheader is where the intrigue really lives: he launched 2 home runs with 3 RBI in the nightcap. The power is real — this is a former sixth-overall pick, after all, drafted by Seattle back in 2014.
The Skills Under the Hood
This is where it gets interesting. Jackson's 7-day hard-hit rate sits at 62.5% with an exit velocity of 93.5 mph. Compare that to his 30-day hard-hit rate of just 39.8% and 30-day exit velocity of 88.1 mph. That's a significant jump in batted ball quality over the most recent stretch.
The 14-day numbers provide a useful middle ground: 38.3% hard-hit rate and 87.6 mph exit velocity. The spike in the 7-day window could be noise — or it could be Jackson settling into big-league pitching after being called up from Triple-A St. Paul in mid-May. Adjustment periods are real, and the trajectory here is pointing in the right direction.
The Catch
We're working with 19 plate appearances over 5 games. That's an early signal at best. Jackson still hasn't drawn a walk — his BB% is 0% across every rolling window. That's a red flag for sustained offensive production. A .273 average over 7 days looks nice until you realize there's no on-base floor beneath it. The 30-day average of .257 with a .260 wOBA is much closer to replacement-level catcher territory.
He's also yet to register a stolen base, which limits his category upside in standard formats. The value proposition here is entirely power and batting average — and the power has only shown up in one game so far.
Ownership Window
Jackson sits at 0% rostered with no ownership velocity. Nobody is talking about this player. FantasyPros lists him but without significant buzz. Yahoo Sports shows a .289 average on his profile. This is a player flying completely under the radar — which is exactly the kind of signal WaiverScout exists to surface early.
For context, if you need catcher production right now, you're looking at names like Shea Langeliers, Cal Raleigh, or William Contreras. Jackson isn't in that tier. Not yet. Maybe not ever. But the batted ball data from the last week at least earns a second look.
WaiverScout Verdict: Watch
Do not add Alex Jackson yet. We flagged him as "deprioritize" on both June 2 and June 11, and the signal has only now upgraded to something worth monitoring. Early signs suggest the hard-hit improvements and declining strikeout rate could be emerging as a real trend, but 19 plate appearances with zero walks is not an actionable sample. If the exit velocity and hard-hit rate hold over the next 7-10 days, and he starts drawing a walk or two, this classification moves up fast. For now, add him to your watchlist and check back.