This Untouchable is throwing lots of bullets

Friday, July 25, 2003 | 8:51 a.m.

51s snapshot

By Rob Miech

In '01, he was 0-for-1. Last year, he had three singles in five at-bats. The double came in his 22nd game this season. In addition, he's 4-for-7 since he's come back, which has raised his season average to .207.

(Honorable mention: Second baseman Joe Thurston has hit in 14 consecutive games, a 21-for-54 stretch in which he's boosted his average from .272 to .288.)

In five starts since, Bell has hit 8-for-20, with a double, three runs and three RBIs, in the sixth spot in the order.

The Dodgers brought him up Wednesday. The 51s have won 10 of their last 15, after having lost 10 of 12.

Edwin Jackson is pleased that his name has been mentioned so frequently, over the past month or two, by officials of other organizations in trade talks with the Dodgers.

He's even more satisfied, though, that the team that drafted him in the sixth round two years ago apparently aims to tap his vast potential.

"Well, you know, it's always good if your name is brought up in a trade ... the fact that, as an athlete, someone is looking at you in that way," he said.

"It's also good that your organization has your back and supports you. It's kind of like, it's good in both ways. It's always better to have others interested in you than not, or having them 'bad-talk' you."

A 6-foot-3 starting right-handed pitcher for Double-A Jacksonville, Jackson is one of the most coveted players in the Dodgers' system along with Greg Miller, a 6-5 lefty at Single-A Vero Beach.

A source familiar with the talks, and dealings, of Dodgers general manager Dan Evans confirmed that, and the fact that Jackson and Miller are the two "untouchables" in the Dodgers' minor leagues.

Jackson, 19, is tied for third in the Southern League with 112 strikeouts, four behind leader Luis Martinez, of Huntsville. His ratio of hits and walks allowed to innings pitched is a solid 1.23.

He's 5-6 with a 3.60 earned-run average, which don't dampen his boss' outlook on his future.

"This kid is improving every start he makes," said Jacksonville Suns manager Dino Ebel. "His goal is to get to the majors, and he's on the fast track."

That the 51s recently endured a 16-game stretch in which Mike Saipe was the only starter to earn a victory could indicate that Jackson will be throwing for Las Vegas before the season ends.

"Sure, I want to get called up," he said Thursday, before the Suns played the Braves in Greenville, S.C. "I want to play in Las Vegas. Maybe it'll happen this year. If it doesn't, I'll work hard next year to get there."

Besides, Jackson was thrilled to start this season in Jacksonville. When spring training camp broke at the Dodgers' complex in Vero Beach, he said he thought he would at least start the 2003 season there.

Instead, he skipped a step in the process, being hopped from Single-A South Georgia, in the South Atlantic League, to the city that bears his name.

"I really didn't picture myself being in Double-A," Jackson said. "Then I saw my name on the Double-A list and I said to myself, 'Stay here (in Jacksonville), try not to get moved down.' "

At the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville on Monday, Jackson had a typical performance. He allowed three hits, three walks and one earned run, striking out six over six innings of a no-decision against Carolina.

"For a 19-year-old, he has good command," Ebel said. "He's very mature for his age. You'd think he's 23, 24."

That happens to a military brat, born in Germany and accustomed to many pit stops. "Always on the move," said Jackson, whose father retired from the U.S. Army as a sergeant first class.

That gives Jackson a special perspective on what has been taking place in Iraq.

"They're fighting for their country," he said. "It's hard on them. They've given their lives to work for others, and I respect them."

Jackson and his family settled in Columbus, Ga., and he excelled in baseball at Shaw High. In the Gulf Coast League and South Georgia the past two seasons, he was 7-3 with a 2.06 ERA.

Last year, he was named the Dodgers' minor-league pitcher of the year.

"He knows his name has been brought up in trades, but he goes about his business like nothing is happening," Ebel said. "He's a quiet guy, but I don't think his name coming up bothers him one bit."

Last week, the Dodgers traded second baseman Victor Diaz and pitcher Joselo Diaz, both of Jacksonville, and Vero Beach pitcher Kole Strayhorn, to the New York Mets for slugger Jeromy Burnitz.

Jackson hits 94-95 mph on the radar gun, and he throws a confident slider. He has been working on a changeup, a critical element of any major-league pitcher's arsenal, all season.

"The main thing is to stay in pitchers' counts," he said. "If you get in hitters' counts all the time, they will hit the pitches. You have to stay in control and keep them off-balance, can't let them look one specific way.

"Up, or out, or down, or in or out ... you have to really work your pitches."

Jackson, as Ebel noted, is patient beyond his years.

"You have to be," Jackson said. "You can't go try to overdo things. Just let it happen. Just do your job and whatever else happens, happens. You can't do everything yourself. You have to depend on your team to help you."