Austin Jackson never took for granted that he would ever start for the Yankees in center field in The Bronx on Opening Day.
So when he plays there for the Tigers today, he will do so with no regrets.
“I’ve pretty much turned the page on that,” Jackson said of the trade before last season that sent him to Detroit as part of a package for Curtis Granderson, the Yankees’ current center fielder. “This is my home now.”
Even before he was moved, Jackson knew the chances of his staying in Pinstripes weren’t great.
“I know there’s a lot of tradition with that position and a lot of expectations, but I was just looking for an opportunity to play,” Jackson said before the Tigers worked out in The Bronx yesterday. “I understood there were a lot of guys ahead of me at that time. It was kind of hard to make room for me. The Yankees are known for going out and getting players, so I wasn’t shocked when it happened.”
Jim Leyland said he is impressed with the 24-year-old.
“He’s a very gifted and talented guy,” the Tigers manager said of Jackson, who finished second in voting for AL Rookie of the Year after hitting .293 with 27 stolen bases a year ago. “He should be a star at some point in the league.”
To do that, he will have to cut down on his strikeouts, because he led the league with 170.
“I think I’ve got the first-year jitters out of the way,” said Jackson, who remains close with Robinson Cano and Joba Chamberlain. “I’m more comfortable now.”
Whether in Detroit or Yankee Stadium.
