EVERETT — Hamstring injury? What hamstring injury?
Everett AquaSox shortstop Drew Jackson has returned from his time on the sidelines with a fury, and the hamstring injury that sidelined him for a week hasn’t slowed Jackson down one single bit.
Jackson, a fifth-round pick in this year’s amateur draft out of Stanford University, was leading the Northwest League in stolen bases when he experienced some tightness in his hamstring while running the bases on July 10 at Boise. Jackson was shut down for six days, and the fears were the hamstring injury would hinder his ability to be a terror on the basepaths.
That turned out to be nonsense. Jackson returned to the lineup last Friday against Vancouver and he’s been running as wild as ever. He stole two bases in his first game back, and in his first six games following the injury he swiped seven bags while being caught only once.
“I wasn’t injured too bad, but they were cautious so the took me out for a week,” Jackson said. “I was itching to get back on the field. Missing a week can mess with your timing a little bit, but I was still able to take (batting practice) a lot, so I was just trying to stay consistent and keep my approach in BP like it is in a game. When I first came back I felt a little uncomfortable, but it started feeling better and I just stuck with it.”
The missed time didn’t even cause Jackson to lose his league lead in steals. Going into Friday night’s game Jackson had 20 stolen bases, which was three ahead of Boise’s Kevin Padlo. Jackson had been caught just twice.
The stolen bases are a bit of a surprise. When the Mariners selected Jackson the scouting reports focused on his big arm at short. He had just 13 stolen bases in his three seasons (120) games with the Cardinal. But now he’s getting the chance to show off his speed in a way he didn’t at Stanford, and his pure speed has Jackson stealing bases with ease.
“It’s a different type of play in college ball, a lot of bunting,” Jackson explained. “If you look at Stanford stats in the past there’s not a lot of base stealers out there. But it’s been nice to work with (Sox batting coach) Brian Hunter and the other coaches on stealing. Especially B-Hunt, who led the majors a couple years in stolen bases, so it’s a great environment to learn.
“I’m not really realizing how much I’m stealing,” Jackson added. “It’s basically like I’m working on it every day, trying to get better jumps, and it’s paying off.”
Jackson’s bat has been on fire since returning from injury, too. In his first six games back he went 12-for-24, scoring nine runs. That elevated Jackson’s batting average to .347, which ranked third in the league.
“It’s been a great experience so far,” Jackson said. “I definitely feel confident with my play, and it makes it easier when you’re with a group of guys who are gamers and are winning a lot of games. So far it’s been a blast.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
