The young outfielder is a solid all around outfield prospect with a quality collection of tools.
After selecting Brett Callahan in the 13th round of the 2023 draft, the Detroit Tigers went to another smaller East Coast school for an outfielder in 2024. In a very pitcher heavy draft otherwise, the Tigers selected left-handed hitting outfielder Jackson Strong.
The six-foot-one, 185 pound Strong played his college ball at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY. He put together an outstanding junior season in which he cracked 11 homers and stole 42 bases while walking more than he struck out. The discipline, speed, and solid raw power potential caught Tigers’ evaluators’ eyes, and they snatched him up.
Post-draft, he only got into nine games for the Low-A Lakeland Flying Tigers, but he did hit .313 in that short look. Strong’s swing can get a little long and handsy, but he shows the ability to make quite a bit of contact even when initially fooled. We’ll have to see if that carries over considering the much more demanding pitching he’ll face this season. He was young for his draft class, and the Tigers likely are betting than Strong has some strength gains ahead of him. A little more batspeed and power potential are going to be required for him to play at the major league level eventually.
Strong has a good eye for the strike zone some ability to cover the zone and get the bat on tough pitches. So he’s got some strengths to work from as he learns to handle a lot tougher mix of pitches this season. He should be able to add some muscle and clean up his swing in pro ball, and then it’s mainly a question of how far his pitch recognition will develop, and whether he can get to his modest power potential as he advances.
There’s a strong foundation defensively, as Strong has the speed to handle center field and the arm to play right field. He’s not a sure fire center fielder, and his reads and routes will have to improve out there, but he is a solid corner outfielder already with a strong, accurate arm. As he profiles as a fourth outfielder type, expect him to play all over the outfield as he works his way through the minor leagues.
The foundation for a major league career is that speed and defensive ability. Strong should be a decently prolific base stealer who can play all three outfield positions. He’ll have to get a lot out of his offensive potential, but Strong’s good plate discipline and contact ability says it could work. We’re putting a little faith in the Tigers’ judgement here, and well as in Strong’s overall skill set providing a solid floor and making him a good minor league outfielder. The rest is down to how far his bat can develop.
2025 Outlook
Strong is back in Lakeland as expected this season. So far he’s posted a 14.7 percent walk rate and a .394 on-base percentage, but he’s also striking out quite a bit in the early going. It’s only nine games, so you can’t take anything much from these numbers. The present ability to put the bat on the ball should bring that 35 percent strikeout rate way down in short order. However, he’s drawing a ton of walks in part because at that level, you see a pitcher or two in most games who is really struggling to locate anything.
So, this is a bit of a speculative bet on Strong as he works his way into his first pro season. To stay on the list and remain a name we’re particularly interested in, we just need to see Strong get comfortable against pro pitching and show that pure hitting ability develop over the course of the season. Ideally, he’ll reach High-A West Michigan early this summer, but if it takes more time to get his bearings and start progressing as a hitter, that isn’t necessarily a deal breaker. The ceiling here isn’t super high, but Strong’s overall collection of skills gives him a good chance to be a useful depth player in time.