From the Ashes: The story of Jackson Dunn (MLB '11: The Show)

[12]

Game: MLB '11: The Show
Mode: RTTS

Player Profile:

Jackson Dunn, CF
6'2" 210 pounds
L/L
17-years-old
Seattle, Washington
(Rainier Beach High School)

Jackson Dunn is a 17-year-old center fielder from Seattle, Washington. Dunn is currently a three-sport star at Rainier Beach High School. He is one of the top rated quarterback/athlete prospects in the country, but his best sport is baseball, where he is projected to go in the top two rounds of the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft.

It is not known yet if Jackson will play football or baseball, but several sources have said that he prefers baseball and will sign if he's picked early.

Jackson finished his high school career by shattering every baseball record in the books. In four years of playing varsity, he hit .422 with 24 home runs and 122 runs batted in. He also stole 88 bases in 91 attempts and had 29 triples. He also pitched and finished his career with an 18-4 record.

On the next level, Jackson has received comparisons to Jason Heyward. His power is developing, but it's his speed and defense that have scouts drooling. He hits for good contact but his plate discipline could use a lot of work.

Jackson comes from a very poor background and was raised in one of the most crime-ridden areas of Seattle. He has had a couple of run ins with the law and local area coaches have said that they really question the kid's character and drive.

"He's a bit of a loose cannon," said one unnamed source. "He's one of the most talented athletes to ever come out of the Seattle area, but I don't think he'll succeed due to his background."

[755]

You know Im following.

[12]

From the Ashes:
The story of Jackson Dunn

November 15, 2010

Jackson Dunn had taken off his football pads for possibly the last time and he didn’t know how he felt about it.

He had switched back and forth on his decision for months. He was an all-state quarterback for Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, Washington. At 6’2” and a chiseled 210 pounds, he could throw the football a country mile and his 4.45 40-yard-dash time was something that college recruiters drooled over.

He had finished his high school football career on this night, in which Rainier Beach won their second consecutive state title. Jackson finished the night with 422 all-purpose yards and had six of his team’s seven touchdowns. He had made his mark on high school football in Washington over the past three seasons, where his 32-2 career record spoke for itself, as did his 122 career touchdowns.

The major scouting services, such as Rivals and Scout had him rated as a five-star quarterback prospect. He had football scholarship offers from every school in the country it seemed like. He had attended camps at Alabama, Washington, Oregon, Tennessee, LSU, Auburn, Southern California—and every other school you could imagine.

There was no denying that he was a special football player. Tom Lemming, the recruiting guru, had once said that Dunn was the best prospect he’d seen since Peyton Manning. He was smart with the football and he trusted his teammates. He also played defense, and was a two-time all-state safety. He registered 18 interceptions in his three years of starting and made plenty of big hits.

Football just wasn’t his first love—baseball was.

He was an equally impressive baseball prospect. He played center field for Rainier Beach and had been a four-year starter. He also pitched, and he threw hard, often topping out at 94 miles per hour on the radar gun. His speed in center field was truly something to behold, as he would track down everything hit in his vicinity. In three years, he hit .422 with 24 home runs, 122 runs batted in and 88 stolen bases (he had only been caught stealing three times).

He was excited for his senior year of baseball.

His power was developing, but he was a great contact hitter who sprayed the ball over the field. His speed turned routine singles into extra base hits. He had played select baseball for the past three summers and had wowed scouts. He reminded many of a young Ken Griffey, Jr. He played so effortlessly and with such passion. His natural ability was just something that you couldn’t teach.

His decision was not an easy one—baseball or football. He was also a standout at basketball, but he simply didn’t have the same love for the game. He was a highly touted prospect in both sports and had a great shot of going pro in either one. One week he decided that football would be his choice, and a week later he would decide that baseball was. He had finally arrived at his decision after his last high school football game.

He would play baseball, much to the chagrin of his family—a family that, by all accounts, had never tasted the amount of success that Jackson had. He came from a very poor and crime-ridden family. His path was completely different in that he was able to put his talent to use. His brother, Marcus, was once considered to be one of the best football players that the state of Washington had ever known. He played three years in high school, all for Rainier Beach. He was a 6’2” 220 pound running back who would shatter many state records, including most rushing yards in a game with 522. It was a number that blew Jackson’s mind to this day.

His brother was lost to the streets, though. Heavily influenced by family, Marcus spent much of his free time hanging on street corners mingling with other gang members. During his senior year of high school, Marcus was shot and killed in Seattle after a weekend of partying.

Sometimes, Jackson didn’t know if he’d recover from it. Marcus was six years older, but the two brothers were very close—most of his memories involved the two brothers playing video games and sports against each other. Marcus was destined to be the next big thing, but he gave in to family pressure and a general attitude of “us against the world.” Success was not embedded in Marcus’ being; only surviving. He was too proud, and perhaps too callous to let anyone care for him. He always managed to keep Jackson away from the bad things, and would tell others that if they introduced his younger brother to the gang life, they’d pay for it.

Their parents were never around. Jackson’s mother was dealing with a serious drug addiction and lived so recklessly that Jackson had a hard time being around her. He felt that his brother’s demise was fueled by the fact that Marcus was always worrying about their mother. Jackson’s father was living somewhere in Alabama and he hadn’t seen him in over 10 years.
There was no doubting that Jackson loved football, but sometimes he felt like he was on the same field as a ghost. The memory of his brother was always with him on the field and at times that was a good thing, while other times it wasn’t. The baseball diamond was where Jackson could escape from that, as Marcus never played baseball. He didn’t hear the comparisons to his brother when he was playing baseball. It was something that he wanted to escape desperately. He loved his brother, but he couldn’t handle being compared to him—it was too painful.

Baseball was his safe haven from that. He loved the game and there was no denying that. The people who mattered most in his life, the people who he knew cared for his well-being wanted him to pick the sport that he loved most, and that sport was baseball. He wanted to have a long professional career and he wanted to make a lot of money. He too would have a family someday and he wanted to be able to provide—to ensure that they never lived in poverty like he had. He would play longer if he chose baseball.

There was just something about the game that grabbed him, that made him lose himself in the game. He loved the smell of the grass in the summer while roaming the outfield. He loved the ping of the bat when he made solid contact. He loved how the game was so pure; how great it made him feel.

[yougo1000]

Awesome just plain awesome.

[Mike3207]

Any thought of having Jackson Dunn be a two-sport star like Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders? Baseball in the summer, football in the fall?

[MarinersVsDodgers]

After reading your first RTTS story, I am VERY interested in this one. Definitely following.

[Doran]

I'm following, Apostle. I loved your first RTTS story, so I bet this one will be a great read as well.

[Phillies2010]

Wow this is simply amazing. Im drawn in already