SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The life of 23-month-old Jackson Stassi differs from that of his fellow toddlers. He works with a laundry list of therapists every week. His free time is filled with “homework” with his mother, Gaby, provided by said specialists. Doctors removed his tracheal tube earlier this month, allowing him to breathe independently for the first time in his young life.
Born three months premature, the development of Jackson Stassi has been — and remains to be — a calculated process.
Jackson has yet to say a single word, but Gaby Stassi can already see the ways in which he takes after her husband, Max, who’s currently competing for the backup catcher spot on the Giants’ Opening Day roster. For all the work, Jackson takes it in stride. No irritation. No frustration. No annoyance. Only determination. Only resolve. Only joy.
“It’s hard to ignore,” Gaby said. “It very obviously exists in Max and in Jackson. It’s hard to meet Jackson and not see how hard he pushes himself.”
Max said of his son, “He’s been through more in his young life than a lot of people experience in their entire lifetime. He’s such a blessing.”
On March 20, 2023, Max was driving to the Los Angeles Angels’ spring training complex when he received a phone call. Gaby’s water broke during a visit to the emergency room; she was not yet six months pregnant.
Stassi boarded the first flight from Phoenix to Chicago, where Gaby worked in human resources. Gaby entered labor at 21 weeks and six days. For doctors to make lifesaving efforts, the pregnancy needed to last at least 22 weeks.
Jackson was arriving one day early.
Gaby’s labor stalled halfway through the birth process. The pregnancy, at the minimum, would cross the 22-week threshold. The longer Jackson could hold off being born, the better. Roughly a month later, Jackson was born on April 16. He entered the world at one pound and eight ounces, less than the weight of a standard baseball bat.
For the first six months of his life, Jackson had to be intubated on a ventilator due to bronchopulmonary dysplasia. He needed a tracheal tube for most of the day to help with his breathing. If Max or Gaby wanted to hold Jackson, they required the assistance of multiple doctors.
During Jackson’s stay in the NICU, Max and Gaby developed relationships with parents who were enduring similar circumstances. Stassi also had multiple conversations with former Giants outfielder A.J. Pollock, whose wife, Kate, gave birth to their daughter, Maddi, three months premature in 2020.
The odds were not in Jackson’s favor. Family and friends were consumed by anxiety, by fear. The worst-case scenarios constantly loomed in their collective consciousness. Max provided equanimity, steadfast in his belief that Jackson would make it out of the hospital.
“I can’t imagine having gone through this without our eternal optimist,” Gaby said. “I was very stressed, very anxious, very nervous. Had both of us been that way, it would not have been good for Jackson. … Max kept my head up and kept us moving forward with the optimism that he carries around.”
In September, roughly five months after Jackson was born, the Stassis were allowed to leave the hospital and return home to the Sacramento area. That journey was not without its own complications. The ambulance that was set to take Gaby and Jackson to the medical evacuation flight broke down. The replacement was not approved to drive on the tarmac, forcing EMTs to push Jackson, still hooked up to a ventilator, to the plane on a stretcher. Jackson spent time at UC Davis’ NICU upon arriving in California, but has been home at the family’s house in Granite Bay for about a year.
Jackson sustained a brain injury as a result of being born early, common for preemies, that delayed his cognitive language, fine motor and gross motor development, but Jackson has constantly improved since returning home. For Jackson, that improvement is the product of a packed schedule.
Every week, six different therapists work with Jackson for one hour each. There’s an occupational therapist who helps with fine motor skills. There are two speech therapists — one assists with mouth movement and swallowing, the other helps with talking. There are two physical therapists — one who works on strength and conditioning, the other doing physical alignment. Lastly, there is a child development therapist who looks at Jackson’s development as a whole. There’s also a feeding therapist who visits every few weeks.
Following their sessions, the therapists leave Jackson and Gaby with additional work that they can work on in the interim. Jackson is close to walking by himself, currently using a cart that he pushes around the house. The strength in his legs is coming along, and the next step will be him finding his balance. Gaby is assisted by her mom, Monica, who moved in from Canada. While Jackson is not talking yet, either, he can point out images on a white board. He requires constant supervision due to epilepsy but has not suffered a seizure in several months.
“She’s done an unbelievable job,” Max said of Gaby. “She was working at her dream job and immediately resigned from that to take full care of him. Without her, I wouldn’t be here today. I think it’d be a pretty easy decision to be there full-time if they needed me, but she said, ‘Go back to work, handle business there, and I’ll take care of his care while you’re gone.’ I’m just forever grateful to her.”
Additionally, Gaby has taken Jackson down to Los Angeles for specialized intensive therapy on two occasions. Each session lasts four hours, and each trip spans three weeks. Jackson’s therapists push him to his limits every session, so much so that he needs a week to recover once the three weeks wrap up, but the gains have been substantial. Later this summer, Gaby plans on taking him for a third time.
“Before having a kid, I would’ve said, ‘How could you possibly have an idea of what their personality will become?’ And he’s off the charts determined,” Gaby said.
Max has exhibited his own kind of determination, albeit under radically less dire circumstances.
Stassi was a fourth-round pick by the A’s in 2009 after starring at Yuba City High and has spent parts of 10 seasons in the majors with the Astros and the Angels. But he hasn’t played in a big league game since 2022.
He sustained a hip injury just prior to Jackson’s birth, and even after recovering, he elected to sit out the season and spend time with Gaby and Jackson. On Dec. 8, 2023, the Angels traded Stassi to the Atlanta Braves. The following day, the Braves flipped him to the Chicago White Sox. Stassi spent nearly all of last season dealing with more hip issues, playing just five games with the White Sox’s Triple-A affiliate. Chicago declined his ’25 option and made him a free agent. That set the stage for Stassi to not just return home, but to play for his childhood team.
Stassi grew up a Giants fan and always dreamed of playing for the organization. His parents and brothers were fans of the team, too, and Stassi fondly remembers watching the orange and black on television nightly. As a kid, his favorite players included fellow catcher Benito Santiago, Robb Nen, Jason Schmidt and, of course, Barry Bonds. With Tom Murphy to start the season on the injured list, Stassi is competing with Sam Huff to back up Patrick Bailey.
Stassi, who has a 1.012 OPS with two homers and six RBIs this spring, has outs in his minor-league deal. He might not make the team out of camp — Huff is on the 40-man roster, Stassi is a non-roster invitee — but he’ll likely play for the Giants at some point. If he doesn’t make the team, he has the benefit of the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate being in Sacramento.
Stassi has yet to play a game with Gaby and Jackson both in attendance, but he eagerly awaits that day. He knows it will be an emotional affair — for himself, for his wife, for his family. That day would be all the sweeter if it was with his hometown team.
“I’m really looking forward to that day,” Stassi said. “I’m sure it will be pretty emotional for us. I’ve always dreamed of that.”