Jason Ellison

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked San Francisco Giants #25 prospect in 2004
  Ellison made a big leap forward in 2002, skipping Double-A and having a solid Triple-A season. He leveled out last year, and the Giants are pretty sure he's going to be a steady fourth or fifth outfielder who works hard and is limited by his fringy offensive tools. Ellison is the latest big leaguer San Francisco found at NAIA powerhouse Lewis-Clark State, following Marvin Benard, Keith Foulke and Steve Reed, among others. Like Benard, Ellison can play all three outfield spots. His best tool is his strong arm. Ellison runs well enough to be a threat offensively, though he's not an efficient basestealer. Ellison would do well to take more walks and play the little man's game. He has some juice for a man his size, but he'll never hit for real power in the majors. He makes the Top 30 over 1998 first-round pick Tony Torcato, who has defensive shortcomings and has regressed offensively due to a lack of plate discipline and repeated shoulder injuries. With San Francisco's re-signing of Jeffrey Hammond and offseason acquisitions of Dustan Mohr and Michael Tucker, Ellison probably will spend most of 2004 in Triple-A.
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  Ranked San Francisco Giants #17 prospect in 2003
  Ellison draws comparisons to Marvin Benard because both came out of NAIA powerhouse Lewis-Clark State--Ellison won two national championships in two years with the Warriors and was MVP of the 1999 NAIA World Series--and both play beyond their tools. Ellison, though, has better tools than Benard. One of the fastest players in the organization, he's an outstanding center fielder with a strong arm. His take-no-prisoners approach has made him a favorite of his minor league managers. The Giants have been searching for a true center fielder who can produce offensively for a decade. Ellison could be a prototype leadoff hitter if he were a bit more patient at the plate. He also needs to learn how to use his speed to steal bases. Ellison just needs to tighten up his swing to make the final jump to the big leagues. He'll start 2003 in Triple-A, where he finished last season after starting it in high Class A.