Luke Ray Jackson (born August 24, 1991) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB). He was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round, 45th overall, of the 2010 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2015 with the Rangers, and has also played for the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

Early life

Jackson attended Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As a senior, he went 8-0 with an 0.90

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) in innings pitched with 87 strikeouts for the baseball team. He graduated in 2010.

Professional career

Draft and minor leagues

After his senior season, he was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round, 45th overall, of the

2010 Major League Baseball draft The 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held on June 7–9, 2010 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. First-round selections The draft order was determined based on the 2009 MLB standings, with the worst team pi ...

. Jackson signed with the Rangers, forgoing his commitment to play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...

, for a signing bonus of $1.545 million. He made his professional debut in 2011 for the

Hickory Crawdads The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League (SAL) and the High-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Hickory, North Carolina, and play their home games at L. P. Frans Stadium, which opened i ...

, for whom he was 5–6 with a 5.64 ERA. Jackson started 2012 with Hickory, and was promoted to the High-A

Myrtle Beach Pelicans The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are a Minor League Baseball team in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the Single-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The Pelicans compete in the Carolina League. Home games are played at TicketReturn.com Field, which open ...

during the season. Between the two teams he was 10–7 with a 4.65 ERA with 146 strikeouts, the second-most among Teas minor leaguers, in 129.2 innings, and had 10.1 strikeouts per 9 innings. He started 2013 back with Myrtle Beach. He was named a CAR Mid-Season All-Star. Jackson was promoted to the Double-A

Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Frisco, Texas, and are named for the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regime ...

during the season. Between the two teams he was 11-4 with a 2.04 ERA (the 8th-lowest ERA among all full season minor league pitchers) in 25 games (23 starts) in which he pitched 128 innings and struck out 134 batters. Batters hit .202 against him, the 7th-lowest batting-average-against among all full season pitchers. After the season, he was named the

Nolan Ryan Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. (born January 31, 1947), nicknamed "the Ryan Express", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and sports executive. Over a record 27-year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanning four decades, Ryan ...

Minor League Pitcher of the Year, and an MiLB organization All Star. ''Baseball America'' rated him the 9th-best prospect in the Carolina League. Jackson started 2014 back with Frisco. He was named a Texas Mid-Season All-Star. He was later promoted to Triple-A Round Rock Express. His aggregate 126 strikeouts were 3rd-most among Texas minor league pitchers. In 2015, Jackson started the season with Round Rock. He converted to the bullpen in May after having started 97 of his first 101 professional games. He was called up to the majors for the first time on August 6, 2015. However, he was sent back down to Round Rock on August 11, before making an appearance with the Rangers.

Texas Rangers (2015–2016)

The Rangers again promoted Jackson to the major leagues on September 1. In 2015 with Texas he was 0-0 with a 10.80 ERA in 11.2 innings, and his fastball velocity of 96.8 mph was in the top 5% in baseball. In 2016, Jackson split the season between Texas (8 games), the 15-day disabled list (back stiffness), and the minor leagues (with Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock; he was 1-1 with three saves and a 3.69 ERA in 46.1 innings over 36 relief appearances).

Atlanta Braves (2017–2021)

On December 8, 2016, the Rangers traded Jackson to the

in exchange for pitchers Tyrell Jenkins and Brady Feigl. In 2017 in the majors he was 2-0 with a 4.62 ERA in 50.2 innings over 43 relief appearances, and the hard-hit percentage against him was 41.5%, in the worst 2% in baseball. Jackson was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

on December 20, 2017. Jackson had his contract purchased by Atlanta on April 4, 2018. He was later designated for assignment on April 15, 2018. He cleared waivers and was outrighted to the

Gwinnett Stripers The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevil ...

. He had his contract purchased again on May 6, and was again removed from the roster two days later. On June 5, he was called up once again. Jackson was later designated for assignment again on June 13. He was called up once again on June 17. With AAA Gwinnett in 2018 he was 2-1 with a 1.69 ERA, in 21.1 innings in which he struck out 34 batters (14.3 strikeouts per 9 innings), in 10 games (one start). With Atlanta, he was 1-2 with a 4.43 ERA and one save and three holds in 40.2 innings in which he struck out 46 batters (10.18 strikeouts per 9 innings). In 2018 he stopped throwing a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

, threw a lower percentage of four-seam fastballs and curveballs, and began to throw his slider more. In 2019, he was 9–2 with 18 saves and nine holds, and a 3.84 ERA with 106 strikeouts (13.1 strikeouts per 9 innings) in innings over 70 relief appearances. Jackson induced a 60.5% ground ball percentage, the third-highest in baseball (minimum 70 innings). He induced a chase rate of 35.1%, in the best 4% in baseball, and a whiff percentage of 36.7%, in the best 3% of baseball. In 2020, he was 2–0 with a 6.84 ERA in innings over 19 relief appearances. He had a barrel percentage against of 3.1, in the best 5% in baseball. In 2021, Jackson was 2–2 with a 1.98 ERA and 70 strikeouts in innings in 71 games (sixth-most in the NL). His 31 holds ranked second in the major leagues. Between 2015 and 2021, he relied mostly on his 88 mph

ground ball In the sports of baseball and softball, a batted ball is a pitch that has been contacted by the batter's bat. Batted balls are either fair or foul, and can be characterized as a fly ball, pop-up, line drive, or ground ball. In baseball, a fou ...

-inducing

slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

and 96 mph

four-seam fastball A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the hardest (i.e., fastest) ball thrown by a pitcher. It is c ...

, also throwing an 85 mph curveball. He won a championship ring that year as the Braves won the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

in six games. Prior to the 2022 season, the Braves disclosed that magnetic resonance imaging had revealed damage to the

ulnar collateral ligament Ulnar collateral ligament (or UCL), may refer to: * Ulnar carpal collateral ligament * Ulnar collateral ligament of elbow joint The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) or internal lateral ligament is a thick triangular ligament at the medial aspec ...

of Jackson's right elbow. He underwent successful Tommy John surgery on that elbow on April 13, 2022. In May, Jackson was granted a $3.6 million salary for the 2022 season via arbitration. He missed the entire 2022 season due to his surgery.

San Francisco Giants

On January 9, 2023, the

announced that Jackson had been signed to a two-year contract, for a guaranteed $11.5 million, with a club option for a third season. He will earn $3 million in 2023, and $6.5 million in 2024. The Giants have an option for $7 million for 2025, with a $2 million buyout if the team declines to exercise it. Jackson will also make donations to the Giants Community Fund of $15,000 in 2023, $32,500 in 2024, and $35,000 in 2025 if the Giants exercise their option. After rehab stints with the Single-A

San Jose Giants The San Jose Giants are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Located in San Jose, California, the Giants play their home games at Excite Ballpark. Games San Jose Giants ga ...

and Triple-A

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 ...

, Jackson was activated from the injured list on May 30.

Personal life

Jackson and his wife Corinne welcomed a son in 2021.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Luke 1991 births Living people Baseball players from Fort Lauderdale, Florida American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Major League Baseball pitchers Texas Rangers players Atlanta Braves players San Francisco Giants players Hickory Crawdads players Myrtle Beach Pelicans players Frisco RoughRiders players Round Rock Express players Leones del Escogido players Gwinnett Braves players San Jose Giants players Sacramento River Cats players Calvary Christian Academy (Florida) alumni