2026 Phillies MLB Draft Preview: Daniel Jackson, C

May 31, 2026; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs catcher Daniel Jackson (3) and pitcher Zach Brown (16) react after defeating the Liberty Flames at Foley Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Jackson is a 6’2” 200lbs right handed hitting “Catcher” with massive power having hit 29 Home Runs in 61 games this year. He has above average athleticism for a Catcher so there is some potential positional flexibility. He’ll be 21 on draft day and he’s currently still busy playing for Georgia in the NCAA super regionals, so stats could change between now and draft day.

class="has-text-align-none">I’ll start on his defense, which is one of the factors pushing him down draft boards despite double plus power potential. Reports on his arm are mixed with some rating it 60 to even 70 grade with others giving a 50 grade score. It’s confusing because this is a radar gun reading and should be consistent, but I’ll split the difference and say it’s 55 grade, which is above-average and adequate for several positions, but not a weapon, per se. He has averaged a 1.94 second pop time, which is slightly above average and good enough for a starting Catcher, but likely does confirm the 50-55 grade arm score Baseball America gave him. Like a lot of College receivers, the catching is a work in progress with blocking an issue and the occasional catch dropped. With his athleticism, I suspect these issues are fixable, but it may take a few years and if a team feels the bat may be the real tool, a team might try moving him to a corner and telling him to focus on hitting development. He has played Outfield in College and Cape Cod, he’s got a handful of games at First and one single inning at Third, where no expects him to end up anyway. So he won’t be new to any of these spots if a team decides to go that route.

class="has-text-align-none">As a hitter there’s a lot to like and more than a few red flags. First Jackson is a bit of a one season performer. The power isn’t new, but the approach, plate discipline and hitting for average are fairly new. He hit .240 for Georgia last year with a 30% K rate and 13% BB rate. In 2026 those numbers are .396 with a 19% K rate and 15% BB rate (some of those walks are certainly of the “I’m not giving the Rhino anything he can hit” variety). The other batting red flag is his Cape Cod performance. Cape Cod is a wood bat league, unlike the composite bats used in College. He hit for a roughly .250 average in a small sample, but more concerning he totaled 5 Home Runs in 141 At Bats (he hit 14 in 125 At Bats in College last year), which is going to lead to concerns his power is potentially due to the style of bat. This is less of a concern than it used to be when College used aluminum bats and guys frequently couldn’t translate power to wood, but it’s still a red flag. Jackson’s other tools are still good enough that it may be playable if his power is more of the above average variety, provided he doesn’t get to it by selling out and eating into his hit tool too much.

class="has-text-align-none">His power is kind of remarkable, as he’s an almost exclusively rotational hitter. There’s no leg kick, no stride, a bit of a toe tap and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a drafting team add a leg kick and some stride to fully tap into his power upside. The swing is violently fast and geared to get the ball in the air. For how fast the bat is, it’s impressive how everything else stays fairly calm. His head stays level and he looks pretty relaxed overall. He uses the field well, not being a purely pull hitter with several hits and home runs going to Center or the opposite way. It’s worth noting he’s also the first ever College Catcher to have a 25-25 season (steals-Home Runs). I’ll drop a highlight video below where you can see the swing and a bunch of dingers.

Here’s a profile video with the origination of his nickname and more dinger watching and steals.

I sincerely doubt Jackson spends any time behind the dish in the pros. Any team picking him is likely to stick him in Right Field and focus on the bat. He’s been a fast riser this season in the Second Round or later on offseason lists and now 35th on the BA 500. You have to accept pretty substantial risks at pick 36, but at least there’s a lot of upside to gamble on here. If the improvements are real and stick and the power isn’t mostly a function of the bat type you fill a couple org holes here with a right handed power bat who can play Corner OF. Right now you have all the eggs in the basket of a teenager from Venezuela named Francisco Renteria, it would be nice to have someone closer to the show.