Tag: isaiah jackson

Red Sox promote power-hitting OF prospect Isaiah Jackson to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox have promoted outfield prospect Isaiah Jackson from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, as first reported by Beyond the Monster’s Hunter Noll.

Jackson is currently ranked by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 30 prospect. The 22-year-old is in his first full season, both in the organization and as a professional. He was originally selected by the Angels in the eighth round (229th overall) of the 2025 draft out of Arizona State, then acquired by the Red Sox for infielder Vaughn Grissom in December.

An Arizona native himself, Jackson earned 2023 and 2024 Pac-12 All-Defensive Team and 2025 All-Big 12 First Team honors before signing with the Angels for $297,500 last July. He made his pro debut with High-A Tri-City, playing 10 games there. After being traded to the Red Sox, he remained at the High-A level to begin this spring, breaking camp with Greenville.

Though he got off to somewhat of a slow start, Jackson turned a corner in July and ended up putting together a productive season for the Drive, particularly in the power department. The left-handed hitter batted .243/.340/.465 with 18 doubles, two triples, a team-leading 21 home runs, 69 RBIs, 68 runs scored, 10 stolen bases, 49 walks, and 105 strikeouts over 102 games (444 plate appearances). He slashed .252/.343/.482 in 356 plate appearances against righties and .203/.330/.392 in 88 plate appearances against lefties.

Among 57 qualified hitters in the South Atlantic League this season, Jackson notably ranked ninth in isolated power (.222), 11th in line-drive rate (25.9%), 13th in slugging percentage, 20th in OPS (.805), 24th in wOBA (.358), and 25th in wRC+ (103), according to FanGraphs.

Defensively, Jackson saw playing time at all three outfield spots with Greenville. The athletic 6-foot-3, 220-pounder made 53 starts in center field, 31 starts in right field, and 14 starts in left field, committing five errors and recording six assists in 194 total chances. He also made two starts at DH.

Jackson, who does not turn 23 until next May, will get the opportunity to finish the 2026 campaign in the upper minors with Portland. The Sea Dogs have six games against Binghamton at Hadlock Field remaining on their schedule and currently sit 4 1/2 games back of a playoff spot. Unless a miracle occurs, their season will end on Sunday.

Barring his involvement in a trade or other move this winter, Jackson is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Portland in 2027. This late-season promotion, then, gives him something of a head start in getting a feel for the Double-A level.

(Picture of Isaiah Jackson: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Which prospect did Red Sox acquire from Angels for Vaughn Grissom?

The Red Sox parted ways with infielder Vaughn Grissom on Tuesday by sending him to the Angels in a minor trade.

In exchange for Grissom, Boston simultaneously opened a 40-man roster spot ahead of Wednesday’s Rule 5 Draft and acquired outfield prospect Isaiah Jackson from Los Angeles.

Jackson, 21, was originally taken by the Astros in the 18th round of the 2022 draft out of Cienega High School in Arizona. Rather than enter the professional ranks at that time, though, the Vail, Ariz. native elected to honor his commitment to Arizona State. He played three seasons with the Sun Devils and batted .310/.402/.630 with 11 doubles, two triples, 18 home runs, 68 RBIs, 51 runs scored, 14 stolen bases, 28 walks, and 43 strikeouts in 60 games (251 plate appearances) as a junior this past spring en route to earning All-Big 12 First Team honors.

Coming off a standout junior season, Jackson was ranked as Baseball America’s No. 179 prospect in the 2025 draft class. This time around, the left-handed hitter was selected by the Angels in the eighth round (229th overall) of July’s draft and signed for an over-slot $297,500. He made his professional debut with Los Angeles’ High-A affiliate in early August and appeared in 10 games for the Tri-City Dust Devils, going 7-for-32 (.219) with one double, one home run, four RBIs, six runs scored, four walks, and 13 strikeouts. Defensively, he made nine starts in center field and did not commit an error in 81 innings there.

Before Tuesday’s trade, Jackson was slated to enter 2026 as Baseball America’s No. 25 Angels prospect. The publication notes that the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder is “a well-built left-handed-hitting center fielder who is a plus defender despite only average speed,” adding that “he has the bat speed to have solid power with a swing geared especially toward pullside damage, but there are some questions about how well he will hit against more advanced pitching, especially against breaking balls.”

Jackson, who turns 22 in May, becomes the latest 2025 draftee to be added by the Red Sox via trade in recent weeks, joining the likes of Luke Heyman (acquired from the Mariners) and Adonys Guzman (acquired from the Pirates). Barring another move, he appears likely to start the 2026 campaign at High-A Greenville.

(Picture of Isaiah Jackson: Kate Woolson/Texas Rangers/Getty Images)