Jeremiah Jackson Is Finally Making Contact — And the Quality Is Loud

Jeremiah Jackson has been one of the most frustrating names on the Orioles' roster this season. WaiverScout flagged him as a deprioritize four separate times — on April 1, April 9, April 27, and as recently as May 10. His ownership cratered from 51% down to 15%. We told you to stay away. The numbers backed it up then, and now they're telling a different story.

Over the last seven days, Jackson is slashing .300 with a .303 wOBA, a 9.5% strikeout rate, and a ridiculous 79.3% hard-hit rate at 98.1 mph average exit velocity. That's a meaningful departure from the player who posted a .217 average, .235 wOBA, and 16.1% K% over the last 30 days. Something has shifted in his approach, and the underlying quality metrics say it's more than luck.

The Rolling Window Tells the Story

Look at how the numbers escalate as you zoom in:

  • 30-day: .217 AVG | .235 wOBA | 16.1% K% | 44.3% HardHit% | 89.2 mph EV
  • 14-day: .235 AVG | .245 wOBA | 13.9% K% | 56.7% HardHit% | 92.7 mph EV
  • 7-day: .300 AVG | .303 wOBA | 9.5% K% | 79.3% HardHit% | 98.1 mph EV

Every trend line is moving in the right direction. The strikeout rate has been cut nearly in half from the 30-day mark. The exit velocity jumped almost 9 mph. The hard-hit rate nearly doubled. This isn't a guy who got three bloop singles — he's squaring balls up at an elite level.

The FanGraphs Question — Answered?

FanGraphs noted earlier this season that Jackson's approach was aggressively swing-first, bordering on reckless. That profile hasn't fundamentally changed — his walk rate over the last seven days is still 0% — but the contact quality has improved so dramatically that it may not matter in the short term. When you're barreling nearly 80% of your batted balls, you don't need patience. You need pitches in the zone, and Jackson is punishing them.

His recent game log reflects the improvement: he went 2-for-5 and 2-for-4 in his last two games with zero strikeouts. Over the last five games, he struck out just twice in 20 at-bats. For a player whose contact issues were the primary concern, that's notable progress with 36 plate appearances backing it up.

Opportunity Is Stable

Jackson logged 21 plate appearances over the last seven days, which signals consistent, everyday playing time. As PitcherList highlighted, he initially earned this role with Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg on the IL, and he's held onto it. The multi-position eligibility at 2B, 3B, and OF adds roster flexibility that's hard to ignore.

The Ownership Window

Jackson sits at 15% rostered, down 11% over the past week — his ownership velocity is actually cooling off. The fantasy community has given up on him after weeks of underwhelming production. That creates the exact window WaiverScout exists to identify. The masses are dropping him based on the 30-day line while the 7-day data screams improvement.

Verdict: Watch

Don't rush to add Jeremiah Jackson yet. We flagged him as a deprioritize four times for good reason — the 30-day numbers are still ugly, and a zero-walk approach carries inherent fragility. But the hard-hit quality at 79.3% and 98.1 mph exit velocity over the last week is too loud to ignore. If the strikeout rate holds below 10% for another week and the exit velocity stays north of 95 mph, this becomes an add. For now, he's a Watch — monitor the next 20-30 plate appearances closely. The data is trending in a direction that could make WaiverScout's fifth signal on Jackson the one that flips from sell to buy.