TEMPE, Ariz. — Jeremiah Jackson is having a pretty good week.
The Angels prospect hit a walk-off two-run homer Wednesday and spent Thursday wearing a Team USA uniform and playing alongside some of the game’s biggest stars.
“It was a great experience to be around those guys,” Jackson said Friday, a day after he was one of the prospects loaned to Team USA to finish the exhibition game against the Angels. “It was basically an All-Star team. Just to be around those guys and see how they operate, how they jell and work, it was a good experience.”
Jackson said he and teammate Jordyn Adams made a connection with Team USA and Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson, who talked to them about how confidence plays a role in reaching big-league success.
“It’s the mental side,” Jackson said. “I think that’s the biggest part that people can overlook. To kind of hear from him and see how he plays and how it translates, hear his thought process, it all makes sense. Other than the skill, that’s a huge reason why you’re successful.”
Jackson, who is two weeks shy of his 23rd birthday, is still trying to find his footing as a professional.
The Angels’ second-round pick in 2018, Jackson made an immediate impact by hitting 30 homers in his first two short-season stints in 2018 and 2019. He continued performing well in his first full season – after the season lost to the pandemic – before struggling at Double-A in 2022. Jackson hit .215 with a .712 OPS.
The Angels also moved him out of the infield for the first time, and he’s continued to get action in the outfield, including with Team USA on Thursday.
“I don’t mind,” Jackson said. “I’m going to play wherever they need me to play. I don’t make the lineup sheet, so I’m not going to be mad wherever I’m at, as long as I’m in there.”
Jackson is now ranked No. 18 among Angels prospects by Baseball America and No. 13 by MLB Pipeline.
While the Angels look for his best position, his…
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