Jackson Jobe Has Been Called Up To Double-A. Detroit Tigers Fans Should Start Believing The Hype

I remember the night that Jackson Jobe was drafted. A lot of Tigers fans show genuine disgust. I won’t go as far as to say I was disgusted, but I will say that I thought it was a tremendous risk. I’m usually not that big on drafting high school pitchers that high. I’m always concerned about the injuries, and Marcelo Mayer, who was taken with the next pick, probably would’ve been the safer choice. Those concerns were legitimate for the first year plus of Jackson Jobe‘s minor league career. His spinal issue kept him out for most of last season, and he never advanced above High-A ball. Jobe seemed destined to be another on a long list of underwhelming Al Avila draft picks. Thankfully, Jobe is now healthy, and with new President of Baseball Operations Scott Harris implementing his new philosophy, he’s begun to thrive.

This is why you must play the long game with trades and draft picks. I think both Jackson Jobe and Marcelo Mayer will be productive Major Leaguers. Still, the initial disappointment so many fans felt when Jobe was drafted had more to do with the GM who drafted him than with the player. The concerns were legitimate. Taking a high school pitcher that high in the draft is a massive risk. He hasn’t made it to the big leagues yet, but his trajectory is trending upward. 

Jobe's stuff has always been legitimate. In 2023, he's cleaned up his mechanics, and he's abiding by the philosophy that Scott Harris has preached since he arrived in Detroit. Dominating the strike zone is of the utmost importance. Jobe has been doing that. He has a fastball that sits in the mid to upper 90s and wipeout off speed stuff. More importantly than that, he's been consistent with the strike throwing. Often, when you draft these projects out of high school, they have live arms, but as soon as they face professional hitting, they can no longer just blow guys away with fastballs. He's adapted, and now he's thriving.

It's pretty bizarre how the outlook of the Detroit Tigers farm system has changed over the last several years. For a while, it was loaded with young pitching prospects, and now most of their top-tier guys are hitters. I'm fine with that. I would much rather build around position players because pitchers are fragile. The one future ace that the Tigers have down in the minor leagues is Jobe. They've been very cautious with him, but he finally seems to be fully healthy. 

The one advantage of drafting somebody out of high school is that they can return and still be a very young prospect if they do suffer an injury. Jobe is only 21 years old. With some good fortune, by the time he arrives, Detroit may have a fully functional core capable of competing, not just for the American League Central but potentially for the American League Pennant. I'm still skeptical about young arms, but his future is getting brighter every day.