The MLB draft is coming up, and starts next week on Tuesday night, June 9.  Besides having the #1 pick, the Nats also have the #10 pick. Washington could end up getting a player that will have a big impact on the team very soon. And with Mike Rizzo in charge (maybe), the man who was a big part of putting together a solid Arizona farm system, there is hope that they will do something good with this pick. Over the course of this week, I’ll profile several players that are potential picks for the Nats at #10.

Brett Jackson

Way back on May 21, Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus’ Future shock, did a mock draft. He also had the Nats trying to pick a guy that would definitely sign, and his choice leads us to our first position player profile: outfielder Brett Jackson out of University of California. Law lists him way down as prospect #57, and Jim Callis puts him higher up at #34.

Jackson is a very good athlete, strong and fast. He hits the ball with decent power, but he doesn’t make enough contact to be considered a truly top flight prospect. Some of this may be due to his swing, which has all kinds of hitches and kicks. He has good range and is a good baserunner, so there’s alot of appealing parts to his game.

In the end, his strikeout ability is probably a bit scary. I’d be more surprised if the Nats of all teams take him, just because they have a guy who hits with is very athletic, and strikes out alot, but probably hits with more power – Michael Burgess. Then again, maybe they really like guys like that. Maybe if he gets selected and hits, they just let him go up the system, but I would assume he’d need a few years in the minors to get his swing quieted down a bit. Probably not a 2010 prospect.

Preview Index:

Kyle Gibson – 6/1
Chad Jenkins – 6/2
Alex White – 6/2
Brett Jackson – 6/3

*Credit is due to Jim Callis and Keith Law among others, as I am not a scout and am simply trying to summarize their opinions in a way that gives Nats fans an idea of these players without running afoul of any copyright stuff.

By Charlie