Detroit Tigers Prospects: Jackson Jobe + others promoted to Double-A for playoffs

Detroit Tigers pitching prospect Jackson Jobe has been completely dominant over his last four starts at High-A West Michigan. In his 22 IP, he has a 2.05 ERA, a 0.82 WHIP, 28 K, and 0 (zero) walks. Just incredible strike-throwing from the 21-year-old.

And now it appears he's going to be rewarded for his efforts.

The Tigers have announced that they're going to promote Jobe to Double-A Erie along with C Eliezer Alfonzo and RP Trevin Michael for the upcoming Eastern League playoffs. Jobe is slated to make his Double-A debut on Sunday.

This is a well-deserved promotion for the third overall pick in 2021. He's done very well for Whitecaps this season. In eight starts, he had a 3.60 ERA, a 12.15 K/9, a 0.68 BB/9, and a 3.31 FIP in 40 IP. That strikeout to walk ratio is just absurd — 54 strikeouts to just THREE walks.

He still allows a few too many home runs, but when you're around the zone as much as he is, you're going to leave a few pitches out over the plate. There are plenty of big-name starting pitchers — Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, for example — that have had issues with the home run ball throughout their career because they throw a ton of strikes and aren't afraid to challenge guys.

Home runs are a much easier issue to fix than walks/poor command. That's an issue that can sort itself out with time.

This is a really fun promotion for the organization because Jobe now has an opportunity to show off his skills in a postseason environment. It's become pretty clear that the Tigers value getting their prospects some playoff experience in the minors.

As for the other players, Alfonzo is just another catcher for the SeaWolves to have for the postseason. He had a 97 wRC+ for West Michigan this year, so he isn't much of a prospect.

Michael, however, is pretty interesting. He's older, as he'll turn 26 on Friday, but as a reliever, that's not as much of an issue. He was known for missing bats in college, and that has carried over into the pros. His K/9 is about 13.5 between Low-A and High-A this season. He had a walks issue in Lakeland, but he's sorted that out a bit in West Michigan.

He had 3.43 ERA and 2.36 FIP in 39.1 IP for the Whitecaps. He should be a nice weapon out of the bullpen for the SeaWolves this postseason.

It's nice to see Jobe get to Double-A this season, especially considering the injury he had to start the year. Things finally appear to be moving in the right direction for him.