Jackson Melián (born January 7, 1980 in Barcelona, Venezuela) is a former minor league baseball outfielder who reached Triple-A.
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Melián, represented by Scott Boras, was signed as an international free agent by the New York Yankees in 1996, receiving a $1.6 million bonus.[1]
Melián was considered a top prospect. He was rated by Baseball America as a Top 100 prospect four times: in 1997 (#40), 1998 (#98), 1999 (#72) and 2000 (#72). Melián was selected to play in the 2000 All-Star Futures Game.
In 2000, Melián was traded by the Yankees with Drew Henson, Ed Yarnall and Brian Reith to the Cincinnati Reds for Denny Neagle and Mike Frank. Prior to the 2002 season, he was claimed on waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers from the Reds. On June 9, 2002, he was traded by the Brewers to the Chicago Cubs for Robert Machado. He signed with the Yankees as a minor league free gent prior to the 2004 season, but was traded to the Atlanta Braves on June 24. He signed as a minor league free agent with the Detroit Tigers prior to the 2007 and 2008 seasons.
Melián's father, Vincent Melián, was a long-time scout for the Atlanta Braves and lifelong fan of the Yankees.[1] He named Melián after Reggie Jackson.[1]
Melián considered pursuing an Olympic swimming career, instead opting to play baseball.[1]