Turner’s first start for the Lakeland Flying Tigers came on Friday against the Brevard County Manatees (Milwaukee Brewers). He lasted only four innings (I’m sure they have him on a strict pitch count), giving up two runs on four hits. The really good news for Turner (and Tiger fans in general) was his four strikeouts and zero walks. The strikeout to walk ratio has been a source of great success for Jacob in his young minor league career. While in West Michigan, he struck out 51 Midwest League hitters, and only walked nine, in 54 innings of work. Those are the types of numbers that pitching coaches dream of, and those are the numbers that will give him great success in the majors.

In other can’t-miss pitching prospect news, Casey Crosby made his second rehab start in the Gulf Coast League on Monday as he continues to work his way back from an arm injury. Unfortunately, the start didn’t go so well. He went five innings and struck out three, but allowed eight hits and four earned runs against the GCL Pirates. After two starts, his ERA sits at an unfriendly 5.00, but he’s struck out eight and only walked two in nine total innings. It appears that Casey is slated to join Jacob Turner in Lakeland once he’s ready.

The future of the Detroit Tigers’ starting rotation looks bright with Rick Porcello, Andy Oliver, Jacob Turner, and Casey Crosby. None of the four are older than 22, and all four are touted to be top-half of the rotation prospects (we’ve already seen this out of Porcello). I get giddy at the thought of these four, plus Justin Verlander, making up the starting rotation in the next few years, but it remains to be seen if all four will remain property of the Tigers. Dave Dombrowski has shown that he’s not shy about dealing a prospect or two if he feels it will help the club—will one of these young pitchers be traded away next?

Drafted in the seventh round of last years draft, lefty Jade Todd opted to sign with the Detroit Tigers instead of bettering his stock with at least two seasons at the University of Alabama. The Tigers, who offered Todd a signing bonus, persuaded him to start his career off professionally with the GCL Tigers.

Profile

Named the 2008 Birmingham News Metro Player of the year out of Shades Valley High School in Birmingham, Alabama. In his varsity career (4 years), Todd posted great offensive numbers, including a .468 average with 140 RBIs and 27 home runs. Impressively, Jade Todd only struck out 29 times in his High School Career. Despite parking 16 of the 45 pitches thrown to him in a pro scout home run derby, hitting was not the ultimate skill that targeted scouts across the major leagues.

From the Eighth grade through High School Todd grew from 5′8″ to 6′2 1/2″. As he got older, his fastball began to develop more and more. By the time senior year came around, he was throwing it in the mid to low 90’s.  In his senior year of High School, Todd compiled 54 innings with a 7-3 record and 98 strikeouts. Meanwhile, Todd showed great control, only walking 18 batters and hurling two no-hitters.

Professional Career

Jade Todd’s professional career started off well at the age of 18 with the Gulf Coast League Tigers. In 42 innings pitched, Todd put up powerful numbers for a lefty, striking out 48, and giving up an opponent average of only .226.  Todd was used in numerous positions in 2008. Of his 12 appearances, 5 of those were starts. He also filled mop up roles. In one outing, he finished a rehab start for tiger prospect Casey Crosby, in which he went four scoreless innings. He also put up a top notch five inning no-hit, five strikeout performance against the Gulf Coast League Yankees.

Next season, Todd could start anywhere from Low A Oneonta to High A West Michigan. It seems the Tigers would like to develop him as a lefty starter; a rather weak part of the system.

Scouting

At Six foot two, Todd’s projection from the left side is something he will continue to use to his advantage throughout his professional career. Beyond his above average fastball for his age, Todd sports a pretty good 12 to 6 curve that has the potential to be a dominant out pitch.  He also uses a third pitch, the changeup, to throw off hitters. It is a solid pitch already in his young career, but he will need to learn how to place it, in order to be successful in the future.

Ultimately, with only three pitches and a low 90’s fastball, Jade Todd projects to be only a back end of the rotation type pitcher. If he can figure out hitters as he matures, he could have success in this league, much like a Nate Robertson in 2006. If he can also work his curveball to perfection, he will be a successful pitcher in the major leagues.

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