Right-hander Jackson Stephens saw action in his first year of full-season ball in Dayton. While he is a starter, at times he made “starts” as a reliever that piggy-backed off of another starter.
Stephens would get his season going on the 21st of June with a start against Lake County. He would get a loss in 4 innings of work where he gave up 5 runs, 3 earned, on 7 hits. In the game, he also struck out 5 and walked just one batter. On the 26th, he would be handed another loss but this time against West Michigan in a 5-inning start. Roughed up once again, 9 hits led to 4 runs, 3 earned and just 3 strikeouts and one walk. June did not start out as Stephens planned with a 0-2 record but he was able to produce a respectable total of 8 strikeouts to just 2 walks in 9 innings. His 6.00 ERA and 2.00 WHIP were reflective of the slow start.
On July 3rd, the month got going with another loss. Bowling Green was able to collect 2 earned runs on 4 hits, 2 walks and struck out 4 times in 3.2 innings. His next appearance was a 5.1-inning scoreless piggy-back showing out of the bullpen on the 8th. He held South Bend to just 2 hits, 2 walks and struck out a season high 7 batters. Stephens would start again on the 14th, against the Quad Cities. He struggled in 4.1 innings that saw 10 hit lead to 5 earned runs. Only one batter was issued a free pass and 3 struck out in the loss. Against Wisconsin, on the 20th, he would make another piggy-back start out of the bullpen. In 5 innings, he gave up 3 unearned runs from 5 hits, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts. On the 26th, Stephens would enter the game in the 5th inning and pitch 4 frames. He would take the loss to Lansing due to giving up 4 earned runs on 4 hits, walking one and striking out just one. Stephens would finish the month against Bowling Green on the 31st with a 4.2-inning showing. He finished the game with one earned run, 5 hits allowed, no walks, and 6 strikeouts. For the month, Stephens went 0-3 in 27 innings. He had a 4.00 ERA and 1.41 WHIP, as well as 8 walks and 24 strikeouts.
August was arguably his best month. Against West Michigan, on the 5th, he was able to go 6 innings but he conceded 3 earned runs on 7 hits and struck out 6 while not walking a batter. On the 10th, he increased his showing to 6.2 innings. Fort Wayne assembled just 5 hits, one earned run off of a solo homerun, and struck out 5 times. Both games were wins for him. His next game was a 3.1-innings save against the Great Lakes on the 16th. He once again gave up only one earned run, this time off of 2 hits, 2 walks, and delivering 3 strikeouts. For the third game in a row, Stephens would allow one earned run on the 21st. Dealing 4 innings against Lake County, he relinquished 3 hits, walked one, and struck out one. The Great Lakes would get the best of Stephens on the 28th. He surrendered 4 earned runs, 8 hits, 2 walks and was able to garner 4 strikeouts in 6 innings. In August, he went 3-1 with a save in 26 innings of work. He had an improved ERA and WHIP of 3.46 and 1.15 respectively. Also, he limited teams to just 5 walks and struck out 19 batters.
Stephens would end the season with one less then impressive start in September against South Bend. In 3.1 innings, he suffered 5 earned runs by way of 8 hits and 3 walks with 4 strikeouts.
Season Stats
| W | L | ERA | SV | IP | H | HR | BB | K | WHIP | K/BB |
| 3 | 7 | 4.59 | 1 | 64.2 | 79 | 6 | 18 | 55 | 1.50 | 3.06 |
Overall Thoughts
Jackson Stephens pitched mostly out of the bullpen, though he basically caddied with Amir Garrett as they both threw 4 or 5 innings per game. Stephens seems like one of the more underrated prospects in the system with good stuff and solid results. He can be a little bit inconsistent still, which isn’t surprising given his age. Look for him next season to work out of the rotation on his own as he picks up a full season of work.