Pirates A to Z: Andre Jackson brought a free, easy approach as starter, bulk reliever

During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z, an alphabetical, player-by-player look at the 40-man roster.

Player: Andre Jackson

Position: Pitcher

Throws: Right

Age: 27

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 210 pounds

2023 MLB statistics: Went 1-3 with a 4.99 ERA and 1.21 WHIP, with 57 strikeouts and 22 walks in 61 1/3 innings over 19 appearances, including seven starts.

Contract: Not eligible for arbitration until 2026.

Acquired: From the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash on June 25.

This past season: After starting 84 games in the minor leagues, Jackson moved to the bullpen this season with the Dodgers. Although he had at least three strikeouts in four of his outings, Jackson gave up three runs or more in three outings.

He had a 6.62 ERA and 1.142 WHIP in 17 2/3 innings over seven games, with much of the damage done in one game. Jackson’s ERA doubled (from 4.26 to 8.64) when he gave up five runs on six hits, including four home runs, in two innings in an 8-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs on April 14.

The Dodgers designated Jackson for assignment June 20, and he was traded to the Pirates five days later for cash. That’s where his season took a dramatic turn.

The Pirates optioned Jackson to Triple-A Indianapolis, where he started three times in five appearances and had 13 strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings.

“I was always a starter coming up,” Jackson said. “This year I was in the bullpen, so I learned a lot about coming in and attacking guys, being relentless from pitch one and it’s something I try to carry over starting now.”

Andre Jackson in his Pirates debut:

-3 IP, 0 H, 0 R*, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 32 pitches
*Allowed 1 inherited runner to score

Easily has the best hair on the team too pic.twitter.com/ed6XvcJcWw

— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) August 6, 2023

Jackson’s first pitch for the Pirates was like his hair — wild — but he didn’t allow a baserunner through his five innings, striking out seven of the 15 batters he faced in his first two appearances. He described his flow as a reflection of his personality and his pitching: free and easy.

Jackson offered a four-pitch mix that relied primarily on a four-seam fastball that sits at 95 mph and a changeup he calls a “natural pitch,” mixing them with a slider and curveball.

He worked on simplifying his mechanics and delivery, with the focus on throwing the ball free and easy, and in the weight room to increase his strength and stamina and to throw with velocity.

“It’s a culmination of understanding the pattern my body wants to move in and working before I throw to get it moving right, so when I pick up a baseball, it’s free and easy and athletic so I don’t think about the delivery out there,” Jackson said. “Just trying to let it rip and hit a spot. I think I throw the ball better when I let it fly out of the hand and hit the catcher in the chest.”

Pirates manager Derek Shelton was impressed by Jackson after he tossed three perfect innings in his debut, a 3-2, 10-inning loss at the Milwaukee Brewers on Aug. 5.

“He came right at people,” Shelton said. “His fastball played. It looks like there’s some deception to the arm, and the changeup’s a good pitch. And I think the biggest thing that was the most impressive is nine up, nine down. He went right after guys, and that was the thing that kind of stood out was how much in attack mode he was.”

Jackson shined in a high-leverage situation with four strikeouts in the seventh and eighth innings in an 8-6 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Aug. 8.

That prompted the Pirates to give Jackson his first career start in the majors, pitching the second game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds after a Saturday rainout Aug. 13. In 3 2/3 innings, Jackson got a no-decision after allowing three runs on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts in a 6-5 loss.

Jackson worked in multiple roles for the Pirates, including a career-high six innings in relief against the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 24.

Six days later, he had another career-high in recording seven strikeouts while giving up one run on two hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings to earn his first MLB victory in a 4-1 win over the Kansas City Royals to sweep the three-game series.

Andre Jackson @Pirates is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers NL Player of the Day (5.2IP 2H R 2BB 7K W vs. KC).

All 15 of Wednesday’s B-T Player of the Game winners—https://t.co/wMEuKjajbT pic.twitter.com/VCxg5Al4sn

— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) August 31, 2023

Jackson struck out the first five batters he faced and seven of the first 10. Six strikeouts came on a changeup that generated 17 swings and six swinging strikes. Of his career-high 84 pitches, 54 went for strikes.

Shelton said “there’s definitely a starter possibility in there” for Jackson.

“He’s really run with it,” Shelton said. “He’s aggressive. He’s pitched in different roles. He’s taken the ball and gone right after people. That’s the biggest thing. The indication of that is how he started the game, going right after guys.”

Andre Jackson first #Pirates starter to strike out the first 5 batters of the game since Bruce Kison in 1979

(via @StatsPerform) pic.twitter.com/IsKrbL0L4J

— Joe Block (@joe_block) August 31, 2023

Jackson became the first Pirates pitcher to strike out the first five batters since Bruce Kison on June 28, 1979. That’s something no other Pirates pitcher has accomplished over the last 60 seasons, per Elias Sports Bureau.

“It’s awesome, especially a moment like that where he’s just out there doing his thing,” Pirates outfielder Jack Suwinski said of Jackson. We’re there for him, but he was doing pretty well through those first handful.”

Jackson’s success as a starter was sporadic, however. After three perfect innings against the Brewers on Sept. 5, he had command issues and gave up five walks. Jackson (1-2) retired the first nine batters he faced before encountering trouble in the fourth inning. The Brewers poured it on in the six-run fifth, with five hits, two walks and an error while batting around the order to take a commanding lead in a 7-3 win.

“I was pretty synched up the first three innings,” Jackson said. “Got into the fourth, walked Yelich and just kind of got out of sync a little bit. I wasn’t able to get back in there.”

Jackson finished the season strong, tossing four scoreless innings in a 3-0 win over Miami in the season finale.

Andre Jackson today:
4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 49 pitches

Since joining the Pirates:
43.2 IP, 4.33 ERA, 19 BB, 41 K, 1.12 WHIP, 0.194 BAA pic.twitter.com/IdOvdeUqeu

— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) October 1, 2023

The future: Given their need to add to the rotation this offseason, the Pirates could have Jackson stretch out to become a starter.

But he showed that he can handle multiple roles, whether it’s in a starting role or bulk relief. He even worked in a late-inning situation at Cincinnati on Sept. 24, striking out four in 1 1/3 innings.

That type of versatility puts Jackson in position to earn a roster spot entering spring training, though offseason free-agent signings and trades could determine what type of role the Pirates use him.