Alex Jackson belted his second spring homer Sunday, continuing his improvement at the plate in the second half of the exhibition season.
Jackson, whom the Braves named their backup catcher over the weekend, has always had incredible power. He hasn’t made contact consistently enough to fully show that ability, however. He’s struck out nine times in his 20 major-league at-bats over the past two seasons.
But manager Brian Snitker sees clear development. He’s optimistic Jackson has figured something out.
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
“He’s done some things this spring I hadn’t seen out of him,” Snitker said. “I think he feels good about it. The cage work, everything, he’s carrying it over into the game. It’s really encouraging what we’re seeing right there. We all know about the power. You know about the catcher. That kid throws as well as anybody in baseball. He’s a really solid, good defensive catcher. We talked about contact, and it’s been better. You never know when a guy is going to figure it out, get it going. It’s spring training, so we’ll see.”
An improved Jackson would certainly help the Braves’ bench, which is currently desperate for power. If Jackson can put the bat on the ball more regularly, he’d a big assist in that regard.
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