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PHOENIX — Conor Jackson sprinted toward the outfield wall, reached and robbed a possible extra-base hit from a Los Angeles Dodgers hitter.

"Did you guys have a doubt?" Jackson joked to reporters who asked him about the play in the Arizona Diamondbacks' 3-2 win on Saturday.

No, of course not. This is Jackson's year.

After shifting from first base, Jackson has grown more comfortable in left field. He has also produced his best offensive season, appeared faster on the base paths and become among the D-backs' most consistent hitters. He was batting .314 after a 3-for-3 night against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. His 52 RBIs ranked second on the team.

"He came into spring training this year looking to establish himself as a good major-league player," manager Bob Melvin said, "and he's done that.

"On top of that, he's had to move around position-wise, which can be difficult. He had to do it originally to play first and now to move to left field. (That's) a lot of credit to his hard work on his defense wherever he is."

Handed greater responsibility, Jackson entered the season determined to produce a career year. Tony Clark, who platooned with Jackson at first base late last season, headed to the San Diego Padres in the off-season.

"It's nice to know that your name is going to be in the lineup every day when you come to the field," Jackson said. "You're not really looking over your shoulder if you make a mistake."

During the off-season, he also focused on becoming leaner and stronger. He improved his diet — no more fried foods — and added muscle mass while remaining around 215 pounds.

The result: Jackson hit .348 as the D-backs went 20-8 in March and April.

Arizona has since struggled with inconsistencies and injuries. Among the casualties, left fielder Eric Byrnes headed to the disabled list with a left hamstring tear, forcing Jackson to shift from first to left.

Jackson played 125 games in the outfield in the minors — which included the 2005 season with the Tucson Sidewinders. He said the more experience he reaps, the more comfortable he feels in left field.

"It's kinda like riding a bike," said Jackson, who has four errors at first and two in the outfield.

Jackson appears to be a fixture in left for the rest of this year, with Byrnes likely out for the rest of the season, Chad Tracy at first and Clark back with Arizona.

Jackson in particular has embraced the return of Clark, the 36-year-old clubhouse leader.

"He's almost like a father figure to us," Jackson said. "He knows how to play the game the right way and that's real important, to have a guy on the team like that to ask questions about anything you need."

Away from the field, Jackson serves as Byrnes' right-hand man on the gregarious outfielder's TV show on the Fox Sports Net Arizona. Byrnes even plucked Jackson as a contestant, along with pitcher Micah Owings and right fielder Justin Upton, for his dating show. Jackson won the contest, and Byrnes chaperoned Jackson and a University of Arizona student on a date to a dance studio.

"It's fun. It's good times," Jackson said with a chuckle. "It's good to help him out and let the baseball world know a little about who I am off the field."

The son of John M. Jackson, who played Adm. A.J. Chegwidden on the TV military drama "JAG," Jackson studied theater at Cal and appeared in a commercial riding a roller coaster at age 12.

"I enjoy speaking in front of people, being in front of crowds and talking. It's kind of a fit for me," he said of acting.

But, obviously, baseball is his forte. Melvin is batting Jackson, who had a career-best .399 on-base percentage after Tuesday's game, in the No. 2 spot to ignite the offense.

"He's a future All-Star the way he swings the bat, his eye at the plate," second baseman Orlando Hudson said. "He's getting adapted to left field more.

"He has grown a lot, man, in the last year or so."