<p>A former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher is off to help the future of baseball from a prospective and development capacity following his retirement from the game earlier this year.<a href="https://www.mlbdraftleague.com/news/mlb-draft-league-announces-2025-managers-and-coaching-staffs"> Earlier today</a>, former reliever Jay Jackson was named the pitching coach of the West Virginia Black Bears in the MLB Draft League.</p>
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<p>Jackson is a six-year MLB veteran who spent some years in Japan following his debut in the big leagues. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2008 and began his MLB career in 2015 with the San Diego Padres.</p>
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<p>He also spent a year apiece with the San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays, and Minnesota Twins. Jackson’s final career statistical line is a 0.7 WAR with a 7-4 win-loss record, a 4.43 ERA in 104 games, 35 games finished, 113 and 2/3 innings pitched, 136 strikeouts, 49 walks, and a 4.47 FIP. With the Jays, he became a fan favourite because of his personality and also performed well, amassing a 2.12 ERA and a 4.20 FIP through 29 2/3 innings with a 0.910 WHIP.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Congrats to Jay Jackson (<a href="https://twitter.com/Jaxland58?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Jaxland58</a>), a former <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlueJays</a> reliever who retired earlier this year but has now moved into a role as the pitching coach for the West Virginia Black Bears in the MLB Draft League!</p>
<p>&mdash; Tyson Shushkewich (@Tyson_MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tyson_MLB/status/1922061693523316753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>The West Virginia Black Bears are a two-time Draft League championship program. They call Kendrick Family Ballpark home, located in Morgantown, West Virginia.</p>
<p>Jackson joins the new manager of the Black Bears, Jonathan Nunnally, and bench coach Antonio Caballero. The former Blue Jay pitcher follows in similar footsteps of another former Blue Jay pitcher, Jesse Litsch, who started his Draft League career in 2022 as the manager of the Williamsport Crosscutters.</p>
<p>The MLB Draft League is a showcase league consisting of six teams that is primarily focused on showcasing draft-eligible players prior to the selections. The league is formatted in two halves, split between an amateur and draft-eligible portion that takes place before the midsummer MLB Draft, and a professional portion for players who are out of college eligibility and are still looking to showcase themselves for another playing opportunity.</p>
<p>The showcase portion of the league allows draft-eligible players to play up to 34 games, while upping their draft stock and giving a second chance to scouts for evaluation. Canadian Jonah Tong played in the MLB Draft League before being selected by the New York Mets, as did fellow Canucks LP Langevin and Josiah Romeo, who were drafted by the Kansas City Royals and Athletics, respectively.</p>
<p>The league’s professional half allows non-draft-eligible players who have exhausted their college eligibility to play in up to 46 games in a season, while being fully compensated as a professional-level player.</p>
<p>The Black Bears are set to open their season on June 4th at home.</p>
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A former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher is off to help the future of baseball from a prospective and development capacity following his retirement from the game earlier this year.<a href="https://www.mlbdraftleague.com/news/mlb-draft-league-announces-2025-managers-and-coaching-staffs"> Earlier today</a>, former reliever Jay Jackson was named the pitching coach of the West Virginia Black Bears in the MLB Draft League.



Jackson is a six-year MLB veteran who spent some years in Japan following his debut in the big leagues. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2008 and began his MLB career in 2015 with the San Diego Padres.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="330" data-promotion-id="18983" data-context="“web-content-promocard&quot;"></div>
He also spent a year apiece with the San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays, and Minnesota Twins. Jackson’s final career statistical line is a 0.7 WAR with a 7-4 win-loss record, a 4.43 ERA in 104 games, 35 games finished, 113 and 2/3 innings pitched, 136 strikeouts, 49 walks, and a 4.47 FIP. With the Jays, he became a fan favourite because of his personality and also performed well, amassing a 2.12 ERA and a 4.20 FIP through 29 2/3 innings with a 0.910 WHIP.

https://twitter.com/Tyson_MLB/status/1922061693523316753

The West Virginia Black Bears are a two-time Draft League championship program. They call Kendrick Family Ballpark home, located in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Jackson joins the new manager of the Black Bears, Jonathan Nunnally, and bench coach Antonio Caballero. The former Blue Jay pitcher follows in similar footsteps of another former Blue Jay pitcher, Jesse Litsch, who started his Draft League career in 2022 as the manager of the Williamsport Crosscutters.

The MLB Draft League is a showcase league consisting of six teams that is primarily focused on showcasing draft-eligible players prior to the selections. The league is formatted in two halves, split between an amateur and draft-eligible portion that takes place before the midsummer MLB Draft, and a professional portion for players who are out of college eligibility and are still looking to showcase themselves for another playing opportunity.

The showcase portion of the league allows draft-eligible players to play up to 34 games, while upping their draft stock and giving a second chance to scouts for evaluation. Canadian Jonah Tong played in the MLB Draft League before being selected by the New York Mets, as did fellow Canucks LP Langevin and Josiah Romeo, who were drafted by the Kansas City Royals and Athletics, respectively.

The league’s professional half allows non-draft-eligible players who have exhausted their college eligibility to play in up to 46 games in a season, while being fully compensated as a professional-level player.

The Black Bears are set to open their season on June 4th at home.

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Former Blue Jays reliever Jay Jackson lands a coaching job in the MLB Draft League

Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Brandon Lowe (8) reacts after hitting a single against the Toronto Blue Jays during the ninth inning at Rogers Centre.

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