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The Detroit Tigers will promote top pitching prospect Jackson Jobe as the team looks to secure a playoff spot, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reported on Monday.
The 22-year-old will pitch out of the bullpen for now, Stavenhagen added. He also reported that the Tigers will designate Shelby Miller for assignment as a corresponding move.
With the Tigers and Kansas City Royals tied for the second and third American League Wild Card spots and the Minnesota Twins just a game behind them, Detroit is not bringing up anyone that it doesn't think can help right away. This isn't like a non-contender calling up a prospect to gain some late-season experience. It speaks to the confidence that the Tigers have in their prized arm.
MLB.com ranked Jobe as the sixth-best prospect overall in baseball and the No. 1 pitching prospect in its most recent prospect rankings. His performance in the minors, primarily in Double-A, back that up. Between High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A, Jobe has a 2.36 ERA in 21 starts in 2024. He has also struck out 9.4 batters per nine innings and is allowing 0.4 home runs per nine.
The only thing that has slowed Jobe down this season has been a left hamstring strain that put him on the injured list for two months. He also missed significant time in 2023 with lumbar spine inflammation.
The Tigers drafted Jobe third overall in the 2021 MLB Draft and signed him to a $6.9 million deal.
Jackson Jobe brings plenty of hype to the Tigers' staff
Jobe's numbers in the minor leagues are enough to make Detroit fans salivate. What scouts are saying about him, however, might be even better.
“After throwing more of a dead-zone fastball in high school, the 6-foot-2 right-hander has added more ride to the heater, and he aims for 18 inches of induced vertical break on the 94-97 mph pitch,” his MLB.com scouting report reads. “As if that wasn’t dangerous enough, his 82-85 mph slider remains his best offering, with spin rates regularly above 3,000 rpm and sweeping horizontal movement of 10-17 inches.”
MLB. com's Sam Dykstra added that Jobe can touch 102 on the radar gun and “his fastball-slider-changeup-cutter mix remains among the Minors’ deepest arsenals.”
Jobe has also made strides in his control, giving him all the tools needed to succeed on the mound.
“Jobe’s feel for locating [his pitches, especially his cutter] has progressed very quickly,” wrote Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs. “He has one of the better combinations of stuff and pitchability among young hurlers in baseball.”
Jobe will provide another arm to a Tigers bullpen that has excelled in the second half. Since August 1, Detroit relievers have a combined 2.72 ERA — second best in the Majors. They've also been the worst strikeout bullpen in MLB, oddly, with only 7.79 per nine innings. Jobe pitching in shorter bursts with his increased velocity should help that.
