Mike Jackson spent much of his career as a set-up man, away from the spotlight and stress that come with being a top-flight closer. At first, coaches claimed that Jackson was "too nice a kid" to be the go-to man, and Mike himself repeatedly shied away from the position. But when he began to establish himself as a power pitcher with a devastating slider, it was just a matter of time before he became a menacing stopper. He finally got the chance in 1997, but injuries hampered otherwise stellar years and arm troubles wreaked havoc on his reliability.

Jackson started off slowly in the bigs, spending parts of two seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies as a spot starter. After going just 3-10 with a 4.12 ERA, mainly in relief, he was traded to the Seattle Mariners along with Glenn Wilson in exchange for Phil Bradley in December 1987. Jackson emerged as a fine setup man, a role he would thrive in for the next decade. In his first season with the M's, Jackson had the lowest ERA on the club.

Though Seattle admired Mike's arm, they admired a powerful bat even more. In a big-name trade in December 1991, Jackson was shuffled over to the San Francisco Giants with pitchers Bill Swift and Dave Burba in exchange for roly-poly slugger Kevin Mitchell and pitcher Mike Remlinger. Jackson acted as an extremely valuable set-up man for Rod Beck while with the Giants; San Francisco found out exactly how valuable when he went down with a knee contusion in July 1993 for a couple of weeks, bringing his league-leading 55 appearances with him. In his place, Jeff Brantley and the aged Dave Righetti couldn't compare.

Jackson was hurt again the following year, this time with an inflamed elbow. Though the 1994 season ended prematurely and didn't hint at the severity of his injury-prone body, the Giants organization took notice of his habitual stints on the DL. San Francisco had no problem letting Jackson go after he underwent elbow surgery, and the reliever signed with the Cincinnati Reds in the offseason. Having not fully healed, Jackson once again remained on the DL until mid-June, but when he came back, he did so in spades, becoming a top setup man for Cincy.

Still wary of his arm troubles, Cincy let Jackson sign with Seattle again, where he posted sub-par numbers for the first time in a while. In 1997, Jackson ended up with the Cleveland Indians as one of the best setup men for one of the best relievers, Jose Mesa. But when Mesa had to take time off from the team to attend to rape charges brought against him, there was no other alternative but for the "nice kid" on the mound to turn into the intimidating closer managers wanted him to be. Adjusting his attitude to fit his role, Jackson began to wear his hat low over his brow to give off a menacing glare and dominate his opponents.

Mesa did come back that year, but became the World Series goat when he couldn't hold the Game Seven lead against the Florida Marlins. Jackson became the full-time closer the following season, notching 40 saves with a 1.55 ERA, as Mesa was dealt to the Giants in July 1998. Mike recorded similar stats in 1999, and decided to sign with the St. Louis Cardinals as a free agent, looking for a big bankroll to go with his big numbers. However, Jackson failed his physical, and ended up signing with the Phillies.

No sooner had he signed with the Phils, than Jackson went down with arm troubles of a more serious nature than he'd ever experienced. He underwent arthroscopic surgery in May 2000, ending his season and his time with Philadelphia, who outrighted him in October. The Houston Astros signed him to a one-year deal two months later, where he went back to his old role, the setup man to a top-flight reliever, Billy Wagner. But the old injury still affected him in 2001, slowing his fastball and reducing the effectiveness of his slider, leading to a career-worst 4.70 ERA. (AG/TF)