Luke Jackson was the most criticized player on all of the Braves teams from 2017-2020. He would routinely come into every game and immediately allow several runners to reach base. Sometimes he would get out of the jam, but there were times (like in 2020) where he didn’t do it. Jackson was frequently designated for assignment & would always land with the Braves later on. Nobody wanted him besides the Braves, as he was simply too streaky to stick on an MLB roster. All of that changed in 2021, as he was arguably our best reliever & the founder of the infamous “Night Shift” bullpen that propelled that year’s Braves team to their World Series championship. Fast forward to today, & Luke just signed a two-year, $11.5 million contract with the Giants, & the deal even includes a club option for 2025 worth $7 million with a $2 million buyout on tap. This signing happened despite his continual recovery from Tommy John surgery last offseason. Let’s dive in & examine how Luke Jackson went from zero to hero in just a few seasons time.
From humble beginnings
Luke said it best in his emotional goodbye to the Braves on Twitter, “Atlanta, I love you. From Booooooos to luuuuuuuke, it was a rollercoaster & I wouldn’t have had it any other way.” The Braves originally traded for Luke way back in 2016, acquiring him from the Texas Rangers. He was a highly touted prospect with command issues, a common theme throughout his career. Just in 2017 alone, he was involved in four different transactions, including his first career DFA. 2018 was even more of a rollercoaster, where he was DFA’d twice and involved in seven moves. Luke had a breakout 2019 year where he was the team’s de-facto closer, appearing in 70 games. From that point on he repeatedly stuck with the ballclub on a series of several one-year contracts. Even though he had a rough 2020 season (6.84 ERA, 1.97 WHIP, 4.37 FIP), the Braves decided to stick with him on yet another one-year deal, and boy, were they rewarded for their decision…
Rollercoaster ride reaches the top
I’m not really sure what exactly happened in 2021, but Luke Jackson all of the sudden became one of the best setup men in baseball during our team’s World Series championship run. He appeared in a career high 71 games with a 1.98 ERA & 26.8 strikeout percentage that season. Our Friendly Neighborhood Slider-Man used the electric pitch at a career high 51% rate in 2021. My belief is that the pressure of not having to worry about closing games as the team’s “break glass in case of emergency” closer allowed him to focus in on his role as a late-inning setup man. The fact that there’s an 11-minute highlight reel video of Jackson’s 2021 season speaks volumes.
Braves fans, your ride ends here
Luke needed Tommy John surgery after taxing his arm so badly during the 2021 season. He regrettably missed the entire 2022 season for the Braves while recovering from this surgery. Fast forward to the 2022 offseason, and Slider-Man was a hot ticket commodity in free agency. For the first time in his career, he was a coveted free agent & the Braves let him test the waters. Jackson has a new home for the 2023 MLB season, signing a two-year contract with the Giants. The deal will pay him at least $11.5 million over two years, with a club option for a third year. All in all, he could make a total of $16.5 million over three years, which is remarkable for him. Braves fans shouldn’t kid themselves; our team was never going to offer Luke that kind of coin. So goes the story of Luke Jackson, forever both loved and loathed by Braves fans everywhere.
The Sports Beacon 