Detroit Tigers prospect Jackson Jobe latest start signals good news

Detroit Tigers pitcher Jackson Jobe has made some leaps.

In 2021, the Detroit Tigers surprised some folks when they went out and selected right-handed pitcher Jackson Jobe with the third overall pick in the draft. The prep arm from Oklahoma was not quite a fan favorite early on, but some folks have come around.

When it comes to the Detroit Tigers youngster, he has battled his fair share of injuries as well, working through some issues with his back. But after getting back on the mound in 2023, Jobe has been able to take some leaps in his performance.

The 21-year-old has jumped up to Double-A, making his first start with serious dominance shown in the outing. Jobe threw 6.0 innings of scoreless ball, allowing just four hits, walking zero, and striking out six opposing hitters. It was a shut-out performance from the right-hander. It indeed was a nice entrance to the Double-A Erie SeaWolves after making his first start after the promotion.

He earned the promotion after some impressive summer performances with the High-A West Michigan Whitecaps pitching staff. He made eight starts with the Whitecaps, where he tallied 40.0 innings pitched with 39 hits while issuing only three walks and striking out 54 opposing hitters. Jobe pitched to a 3.60 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP during his tenure in High-A this summer.

It's not to say that Jobe is ready for the big leagues or even going to make the jump in 2024, but it's been good to see the righty take some leaps for the Tigers organization in 2023. As of late, Jobe has done an excellent job making some improvements.

Looking at some of the film from his debut outing with Double-A and outings with High-A, it just feels like he's starting to make some improvements on his fastball in terms of location and being able to miss some barrels with it and elevate at times. He's also developed the changeup to add to the developing arsenal, showing a real good tumble as he pronates through release.

It's come a long way and helped him add to the arsenal, being a pitch he'd throw to induce whiffs and just further round out the arsenal. The slider has been healthy as always, but it's just been good to see a version of Jobe that has taken some strides in the pro-org and seemingly found a groove with his performance in the latter half of 2023.

Hopefully, Jobe can finish 2023 strong with Double-A Erie and snowball the strong season into a big 2024 campaign.