SAN FRANCISCO, CA - The San Francisco Giants have announced today that they have agreed to terms on a two-year contract with free agent outfielder Austin Jackson. Per club policy, financial terms were not disclosed.
"We are excited to have Austin join the Giants", said Senior Vice President and General Manager Bobby Evans. "He is a talented and versatile player who will strengthen our roster and provide additional depth at all three outfield positions."
Jackson, who turns 31 years old on Feb. 1, batted .318 (89-for-280) with 46 runs scored, 19 doubles, three triples, seven homers and 35 RBI in 85 games with the Cleveland Indians last season, finishing with a career-high .869 OPS. His .318 batting average was the fifth-highest mark in the American League among players with at least 250 plate appearances. He also batted .352 (43-for-122) against left-handed pitchers, which ranked as the fourth-best clip in the A.L. among players with at least 140 plate appearances - behind Avisail Garcia (.424), Jose Abreu (.356) and Jose Altuve (.353). Jackson made 38 starts in center field, 29 starts in left field (38 games) and 12 starts in right field (18 games).
The eight-year Major League veteran has spent time with the Detroit Tigers (2010-14), Seattle Mariners (2014-15), Chicago Cubs (2015), Chicago White Sox (2016) and Cleveland Indians (2017). The Denton, Texas native has appeared in 45 postseason games with the Tigers, Cubs and Indians. He's primarily manned center field throughout his career, leading the American League in defensive WAR in 2011 (3.4, Baseball-Reference) while also winning the A.L. Wilson Defensive Player award in 2012 and 2013. He led the A.L. in triples with Detroit in 2011 (11) and 2012 (10) and was the A.L. Rookie of the Year runner-up to Neftali Feliz in 2010.