Fantasy talk: Edwin Jackson status report

It's hard to believe that Edwin Jackson is only 28 years old. The guy has certainly had an interesting career so far, basically bouncing around from almost every single team in the game. He has never been able to find a permanent home, but nevertheless, he still manages to pitch well every fifth day. He is also one of the most underrated pitchers in the game.

Jackson was originally drafted by the Dodgers in the 6th round of the 2001 draft. The Dodgers chose him expecting that he would be an outfielder, but they eventually converted him into a pitcher. There was a time where Jackson was regarded as one of the best pitching prospects in the game, but his stock fell down once he posting a sub-4.00 ERA in the minors. Some say that he got rushed to the majors, and in 2004, Jackson struggled for the Major League club. He was sent back down to the minors, and struggled there as well, therefore ending his status as a "can't-miss prospect." Here is when Jackson's career gets very interesting. In 2006, he was traded to Tampa Bay in the Danys Baez deal. He was used mostly in relief, and posted a 5.45 ERA that season. The next two years he struggled yet again, and was traded to Detroit in exchange for Matt Joyce. Jackson went on to have his first true good season, posting a 3.62 ERA in 33 starts. Apparently, Detroit did not want to keep him and traded him to Arizona the following winter. He was included in the three way deal that sent Austin Jackson to Detroit and Curtis Granderson to the Yankees. Jackson went on to struggle with the Diamondbacks, and was traded to the White Sox in the middle of the season in the Daniel Hudson trade. Jackson went on to toss a no-hitter for Chicago down the stretch, and played pretty well for the most part. He started the next season on the White Sox roster, but was traded to the Blue Jays in the Jason Frasor deal last summer. The Blue Jays then flipped him to the Cardinals in a huge deal that was centered around outfielder Colby Rasmus going to Toronto. Jackson played very well down the stretch for St. Louis, ultimately leading them to a World Series title. He became a free agent after the season, and signed a one year deal with the Nationals.

Now, as you can see, like I said earlier, Jackson's career has been a unique one so far. He has gotten traded so many times and it seems like he never stays with the same team for more than one year. Now he is with the Nationals, and currently has a a 3.69 ERA in 23 starts. That is pretty good, but since Jackson was formerly regarded as a top prospect, I still have higher expectations for him.

Overall, Jackson, in my opinion, is still too inconsistent to trust down the stretch in my fantasy league. He is certainly a good pitcher to have on your roster, but I would still keep a close eye on him. If you have him, you could either sell high while his value is high, which is what I recommend, or you could keep him and hope he gets even better, which is risky but possible.