Looking to ultimately bolster their outfield, the Yankees surrendered Austin Jackson to the Tigers as part of a three-team deal in which Detroit shipped star center fielder Curtis Granderson to the Bronx. The Yankees are probably content with the star power that Granderson can bring, but that doesn’t take away from how it may not have been the best move.
Granderson is underachieving quite a bit this year, and with his power, he could definitely be taking greater advantage of Yankee Stadium. He hasn’t quite come through like Austin Jackson has in Detroit.
As a rookie in Detroit this year, Jackson has been bit by the strikeout bug. But that can’t take away from all the hits he has collected. He has put up 144 hits while batting .308, despite leading the AL in strikeouts. Either way, he has many more hits than Granderson and has done a better job of staying healthy.
The Yankees could be wondering what things would be like if Jackson was still wearing pinstripes.
Sure, Yankees fans are always going to be wondering what it would be like if Austin Jackson was patrolling center at Yankee Stadium, so long as Jackson continues to be a productive major league player. On the other end Tigers fans are always going to be comparing Austin Jackson to Curtis Granderson.
Even when the trade originally happened I’m sure a lot of Tigers fans knew that what the Tigers were getting in return was the best possible package they were going to get, even if they didn’t initially like it. I was one of those fans, Granderson was a fan favorite here and a productive player for the most part, but Detroit fans cannot be too displeased with this trade as it stands now. Granderson is struggling in New York like the Bleacher Report mentioned and Jackson is having a seemingly rookie of the year season.
Bottom line is we may have seen the best of Curtis Granderson while the ceiling has yet to be reached by a younger Austin Jackson. Like always though time will ultimately tell.
