The Detroit Tigers Call Up Top Prospect Jackson Jobe

The Detroit Tigers have taken the baseball world by storm with their improbable, Hollywood esque run toward October baseball. Comeback wins, robbing home runs, extra innings heroics, the Tigers have experienced the kind of excitement baseball fans long for. And, it’s about to get even better.

On Monday afternoon the team announced top prospect (Just Baseball’s no. four overall) Jackson Jobe will join the team in Detroit. Reports are Jobe will come out of the bullpen, which on this Tigers team, could mean just about any role from bulk innings to clutch high-leverage spots.

For Jobe, it’s surely a dream come true. The 22-year-old Irving, Texas native was selected third overall in 2021 and has steadily worked his way through the minors despite injuries causing some speed bumps.

He’ll have the opportunity to join a clubhouse that’s buzzing with positive energy and deliver his first pitch in front of a packed Comerica crowd that has found a second life to this season and excitement they have not experienced in a number of years.

For the Tigers, they get to replace a middling Shelby Miller with a pitcher whose sky is the limit. However, for now, in a week or so Jobe will have with the team, expectations will be a bit simpler.

Jobe will not be asked to do much more than come in and focus on only a few hitters. A task that should be easier than preparing to face a lineup multiple times through. Having another arm to take a bit of the load off a taxed bullpen, especially an arm with this level of swing-and-miss stuff, gives the Tigers a better chance for a playoff berth.

For the fans, it could be the cherry on top of an unforgettable season.

With so many unique moments and unbelievable happenings, the “Jackson Jobe” chapter of the fairytale has a chance to really be special.

Picture a scenario where the organization’s top prospect helps clinch a playoff berth in front of the hometown crowd. A bit too much of a picture-perfect movie finish?

Well, isn’t that exactly how this season has been lining up and playing out?

Why not let your mind wonder?

While this move might be as simple as replacing a bullpen arm it feels like it means more than just that. In some way, a turn of the page towards higher importance baseball now, and into the future.

Detroit being in a position where they have a top-five prospect in baseball is one thing, but also in a position to use him to help lock up a playoff spot is another. The Tigers have passed the rebuild phase and are now legitimately entering their competitive stage. A big roster move towards a better team with more to come over the coming months. But that’s a discussion for another day.

Detroit finishes the season with six straight at home. Three against the Tampa Bay Rays (78-78) and three against the Chicago White Sox (36-100). Up a game in the Wild Card standings, with games against sub-par teams, the Tigers need to continue to play good baseball in order to secure their playoff spot. One game at a time, starting Monday night, with the improbable on the line.

For more on Jobe, here is Aram Leighton’s scouting report of him in our top 100!

4. Jackson Jobe – RHP – Detroit Tigers

Height/Weight: 6’2″, 195 | Bat/Throw: R/R | 1st Round (3), 2021 | ETA: 2025

The top prep arm in the 2021 Draft, Jobe boasts lively stuff and is a premium athlete on the mound. After dealing with a back issue that delayed the start of his 2023 season, Jobe returned looking better than ever.

Check out our conversation with Jackson Jobe!

Arsenal

Viewed as a candidate to climb relatively quickly, Jobe’s stay in Low-A was longer than planned due to somewhat inconsistent fastball command and lower than expected chase rates on his slider. Still, the potential was more than evident.

Jobe’s fastball sits 95-97 MPH, with solid life and carry. Averaging around 18 inches of induced vertical break, the fastball plays well at the top of the zone, but he has also improved his ability to spot strikes at the bottom.

Jobe’s mid-80s slider is his best pitch. Averaging around 15 inches of horizontal break at more than 3,000 RPM, the pitch featured so much break that he had trouble locating it consistently in the early going of his professional career. He has since found much more consistency with it, having the confidence to throw it for a strike on both sides of the plate while not having much fear of leaving it over the middle because of how sharp and late the break is.

The third pitch for Jobe is a changeup that has flashed above average in the 85-87 MPH range. He has adjusted his grip on the pitch to more of a split grip that keeps the spin under 2,000 RPMs with good arm side fade. Much like the rest of his arsenal, Jobe’s mechanical improvements have helped him throw it for a strike far more frequently.

Rounding out the arsenal for Jobe is a cutter in the low 90s that he added ahead of the 2023 season. He only mixes it in around 10% of the time, but it gives him another look against hitters from both sides of the plate. With shorter break, it is easier to spot for Jobe and his ability to supinate should make it an above average pitch as he throws it more.

Outlook

Jobe had the looks of one of the most polished high school arms we had seen in a while before a couple hiccups in his first pro season and an unfortunate injury ahead of 2023. Now healthy and looking far more comfortable than he did last year, Jobe mentioned the silver-lining of his injury layoff that allowed him to work on things.

He likely could have returned much sooner in the 2023 season, but the Tigers understandably wanted to be cautious with their prized pitching prospect, and as a result, he was able to throw plenty in a control environment before he took the field again in a game setting. Jobe even mentioned in an interview on Just Baseball’s prospect podcast “The Call Up” how valuable that time was for him as a silver-lining.

His improved ability to get his momentum working towards home plate has resulted in not only an uptick in stuff, but an uptick in strikes. In terms of sheer talent, Jobe is one of the best pitching prospects in the game and it looks like he his starting to put it all together on the field.

Read More: Now Healthy, Jackson Jobe is Making Up For Lost Time