It's been a whirlwind 18 months for Zach Jackson — with the biggest ride yet to come.

Jackson, a left-handed pitcher who quickly moved through the Toronto Blue Jays minor league system this past season, was a key piece in the trade that sent him, David Bush and Gabe Gross to the Milwaukee Brewers for Lyle Overbay Thursday.

"I'm thrilled. I'm very excited," said the Cranberry Township native. "It's a great opportunity. I just finished my first full year.

"(The Brewers) really liked me from the beginning when I was at Texas A&M. They had the No. 5 pick overall, though. It worked out great, though," Jackson added.

After being drafted No. 32 overall in the June 2004 amateur draft, Jackson had a signing bonus of slightly more than $1 million, then pitched a couple of games for Auburn (N.Y.) in the New York-Penn League.

Jackson spent this season at Class A Dunedin (Fla.), Class AA New Hampshire and Class AAA Syracuse and went a combined 16-8 with a 3.92 ERA, 124 strikeouts and just 39 walks in 160

innings.

He also got to pitch in the Futures Game, which features minor league stars, in July to kick start Major League Baseball's All-Star Game in July.

After the season, he went to Dunedin to pitch for the Blue Jays in the Fall Instructional League.

With the trade to the Brewers, Jackson most likely will begin the season with Class AAA Nashville.

"I always set my goals high," said Jackson, 22. "I got invited to the big-league camp. I'm not on the 40-man roster, so that's why I'm excited about the invite.

"I just wanted an opportunity to show what I can do. Would it be a dream to start the season in Milwaukee? Sure, but I'll probably start in Nashville. That's my goal," Jackson added.

"We project him as a No. 2 or No. 3 guy (in a major league rotation," Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "He has a bit of an unusual delivery, with a little hesitation."

The Brewers finished last season with an 81-81 record, their first non-losing campaign since 1992. With young stars like Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy, Bill Hall and Ben Sheets, the Brewers appear to be a team on the rise.

"They're real young. They have a lot of 22-, 24-year-olds. They told me what they were thin on was pitching. That's where they want me to come in, whether it's this year, next year, whenever," Jackson said.

Another plus is Jackson has the chance to pitch in the National League Central, so he'll have a shot to pitch in Pittsburgh.

"That was a blessing in disguise," said Jackson. 'But I have to get there first. I don't want to get ahead of myself. Just the thought of playing in my hometown, that would leave me speechless.

"I just keep joking that I've got to get back to the batting cages. With the Blue Jays, they don't allow pitchers to take batting practice. I haven't swung in a good three years," he added.

Jackson now will have the rest of the winter to learn more about the Brewers, which is just fine with him.

"I didn't know hardly anything about the Brewers before this, but from what I hear, they have a great system," said Jackson.

"There's a lot of opportunities and that's all anyone in my position can ask for."