D-backs are Edwin Jackson’s latest stop on long MLB journey

Edwin Jackson has played a lot of places, and he’s used to hearing about it. He said he can recite all 14 teams he’s played for, a major league record.

Jackson, who described himself as a competitor when he joined Arizona Sports’ Doug & Wolf on Friday morning, has approached the game with perseverance and resilience.

“My wife said they’re going to have to pull me by my ear off the field,” he said.

So he enters 2020 with the Diamondbacks, the second time he’s been with the organization, looking for an opportunity at the big league level at age 36. The issue, though, is that a bevy of starting pitching options and a bullpen that got deeper in the offseason make for a challenge to crack the big league roster.

“Scratch and claw. That’s all we know as a child, you know? I wasn’t always the best, so I was always out there competing,” Jackson said. “I was super competitive. I wanted to be right in the mix. I never wanted to get left behind. I kind of kept that approach in baseball, you know? Perseverance. Resilience. I’m here. Every time someone thinks I’m gone, I pop up with another team, show up with another color in another uniform, keep a smile on my face and have fun.”

Jackson has played for the Dodgers, Cubs, Nationals, Tigers, White Sox, Diamondbacks, Braves, Cardinals, A’s, Padres, Orioles, Marlins and Blue Jays.

“Being able to walk in and put a uniform on and represent an organization and also represent yourself and your family, there’s nothing like it,” Jackson said. “You get to play a game at the highest level, I mean, play a game — something you’ve been doing as a kid, something you’ve grown up doing, you watch it on TV. And you get to do it for a living and have fun doing that. That’s one thing you can’t take for granted.”

This spring, Jackson has made four appearances for a total of four innings, and he gave up nine runs in that span. His latest appearance was on Friday, in which the right-hander pitched one inning and allowed two runs on two hits. His fastball got up over 95 miles per hour.

“Started off slow, but I feel good,” Jackson said of his spring on Friday morning. “So as a veteran, obviously it’s a bittersweet spot when you come in and you’re trying to make a team, but I know myself and I know my body. It’s hard to get trapped in results when you’re trying to make a team, but I’ve been doing this for a long time.

“So I know how I feel, I know where I am according to past springs and I feel good. The results haven’t been what I’ve wanted, but I feel good health-wise and I feel good stamina-wise, so I continue to go. We have a few weeks left, so it’s definitely nothing that I’m stressing about. Like I said, I’ve been here before, still have fun with it, you go out and you just continue to battle.”

Jackson is not competing for a starting spot, but rather for a spot in the bullpen. Last year, he made 18 appearances for Detroit and Toronto, five of those in relief. In total, his 2019 ERA was 9.58 with a 2.025 WHIP.

“It’s very difficult,” manager Torey Lovullo told Bickley & Marotta on Wednesday. “These guys have been told up front exactly what their responsibilities are and how they’re going to be competing, and Edwin in particular, he’s just one of many but he knows he’s going to be competing as a reliever, he’s not going to worry about starting. Just go out and give us his best stuff and do what he does best.”

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