SON OF AN ACTOR

• While he played plenty of baseball and savored being a regular kid growing up in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, Jackson also spent five years as an adolescent auditioning for projects ranging from cereal commercials to television sitcoms.
  
  It was against the wishes of John Jackson, whose resume includes supporting appearances in popular flicks like "A Few Good Men" and "A Perfect World." Since 1996, he has portrayed "JAG" leader Admiral A. J. Chegwidden on the CBS drama.
  
  John Jackson wasn’t going to push his son or daughter into show business, nor did he want himself involved in the process. He knows the toll it inflicts on the young. "It’s not a normal life; that’s why I didn’t want my kids in it," Jackson said. "I didn’t want either of my kids to be out there until they were adults." 
  
  Conor quickly realized it wasn’t a fairytale ride as his mother chauffeured him between unsuccessful tryouts. "I never got anything," he said. "The worst was going in there and not even auditioning and saying your lines. Just hearing ‘You’re not the right look for the part.’
  
  "'You haven’t even heard me yet,' I'd say."

• Conor says he and his Dad collected autographs when he was young. Now, he is good about signing for fans.

• In his youth, Conor loved the Dodgers, following the exploits of such favorite players as Mickey Hatcher, Kirk Gibson, and Steve Sax.

• Jackson's host on a recruiting trip to the University of California was Xavier Nady, who he was later compared to, as far as Major League potential. The University of California offered Conor a baseball scholarship.
  

• In 2000, Jackson turned down the Indians after they drafted him in the 31st round of the draft out of El Camino Real High in Woodland Hills, California. He chose college, instead.

• Jackson hits for a high batting average with a bit of power.
• Conor has good bat speed and the strength to continue increasing his power numbers every season. He can really put a charge into the ball from a short, compact stroke. 
  
  Jackson is a pure hitter.

• Jackson is not prone to over-swinging. He takes a nice, big cut at the ball, making good solid contact from a crouched batting stance. He has a pure hitting stroke and incredible hand-eye coordination. He nails any fastball, and adjusts well to breaking balls. But he has a little trouble with good, inside heat.

• Conor maintains a good on-base percentage. Conor walks almost as much as he strikes out. His knowledge of the strike zone, pitch recognition, and plate discipline are extremely good. He doesn't swing at bad pitches and doesn't miss the good ones.
  
  In 2004, D'Backs farm director Tommy Jones said that Conor "has the best strike-zone discipline in our entire organization, from Rookie League to the Majors." And in 2005, Tacoma Sidewinders manager Dan Rohn said Jackson has the best concept of the strike zone he'd seen in his five years in the Pacific Coast League.

• He spreads out a little bit at the plate. Jackson is endeavoring to put more back-spin on the ball, which will give it more carry and boost his home run numbers. He gets a good at-bat almost every single trip to the plate. He has a great approach. He waits for the pitch he wants, and when he gets it he squares it up good. He's got such a great, short swing and superb plate discipline.
  
  One thing Conor does better than most is read pitchers. He's such a great breaking-ball hitter and he has no fear of it either. It's almost like he says, "If you're going to throw it slower with a loop in it, I'm all for it."
  
  When he is down 0-2 or 1-2, he has an incredible ability to stay in the at-bat and oftentimes get himself on base. If you can do that, one time after another, you create run-scoring opportunities and ultimately stress the pitchers.

• Jackson started the 2010 season with a career batting average of .281 with 45 homers and 236 RBI in 1,624 at-bats.

• The Diamondbacks moved Conor to right field when they signed him, even though he had played 3rd base at the University of California.
  
  In 2005, they moved him to first base. He can be an average first baseman on defense.

• Jackson has a fairly strong arm, but his accuracy is poor, so first base is a good spot for him.

• In the outfield, he cuts off balls in the gap. His arm needs to be a little stronger if he is going to play any right field, but he is working on the mechanics of his throws, and on taking better routes to the ball. Overall, he is not a very good outfielder, mostly limited to left field.

• Conor is a good, hard-nosed player. Defense never has been, and never will be, the strong part of his game. He will make some errors, but he is adequate at first base.

• Conor doesn't have very good speed, but he won't clog the bases, either.
• Jackson improved his speed before 2008 spring training. Where he used to get from home to first base in 4.7 or 4.8 seconds, now he gets there consistently in 4.5 seconds.

• 2003 (college season): Conor injured his right ankle rounding second base in the first game of the season, then later missed a few games with an arm injury.
• 2003 (pro season): Shoulder tendinitis forced Jackson to DH for most of the summer.

• May 2008: In a span of about 15 minutes, the Diamondbacks first baseman went from the possible winning hit—a go-ahead RBI double in the seventh inning—to having his head rung so soundly in an eighth-inning collision at first with Shane Victorino he had to leave the game. "A shoulder or helmet gave him a glancing blow under his [right] eye," manager Bob Melvin said.

• May 12, 2009: Conor was on the D.L. with a combination of pneumonia and valley fever—mostly the valley fever, which is an illness contracted by inhaling spores of fungus in desert soil. It essentially zapped him of his energy.
  
  When he wasn't getting better, Jackson visited an infectious-disease doctor in Tucson in August 2009.