Wasn't this kid pretty highly regarded not that long ago? Wasn't he included in several trade rumors, too? Suddenly, he's DFA'd (along with Eric Hacker) and, like Hacker, a member of the Pirates?
The Pirates have claimed right-handed reliever Steven Jackson off waivers from the New York Yankees.Wonder what he did to get that DFA considering he had a 1.88 ERA at the time? Anyone have any insight? With the Yanks bullpen struggling, how could they let a guy who was seemingly performing well in AAA just hit the trash heap? Someone help me, please. Though, if I had to guess, it's an issue of the 40 man roster (Kevin Cash called up; Tomko's call up got Hacker punted).
Jackson, 27, had a 1.88 ERA and one save in seven appearances for Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before being designated for assignment May 8. Last season, Jackson had a 4.18 ERA in 49 appearances split between Class AA and AAA. That included a 0.87 ERA in 19 appearances after the All-Star break, all in Class AAA.
Also: Do I have to withhold my "are the Pirates now a Yankees minor league affiliate?" joke? What? Too late? Sorry.
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The Yankees definitely wouldn't have sent him away if he'd been pitching at a 1.88-ERA level, and a quick check of his stats shows he had a quite low strikeout rate of 5.02 K/9. When you aren't striking batters out at a high rate, a low ERA reflects luck and defense much more than it reflects actual pitching. When his ERA shoots up because he's not missing bats, this move will make more sense.
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