Jackson Jobe, a right-handed starter, was picked by the Detroit Tigers with the third overall choice in the 2021 MLB Draft, and he has since lived up to the expectations. With a lifetime ERA of 2.97 and 1.137 WHIP, Jobe had 261 strikeouts in 233 innings pitched throughout his minor-league career, requiring just 58 starts.
Jobe only pitched five and a third innings in four regular season and postseason games during his MLB debut with the Detroit Tigers last season. Despite several setbacks during his brief initial stay in the major leagues, Jobe’s potential and lofty ceiling remained apparent. When it comes to putting batters out, his pitch mix—which consists of a devastating slider and a fastball and sinker that can reach 97 mph—makes him extremely adaptable.
The Tigers Have Struck Gold with Jackson Jobe
After spring training, the 22-year-old was selected as the team’s fifth starter and immediately made an impression. The Tigers have a perfect 8-0 record in the eight games that Jobe has thrown in. Jobe is the first pitcher in Tigers history to assist the team in winning his first eight starts, according to Tigers PR. This is the first time an MLB pitcher has done so since 2001 (Roy Oswalt and Joel Piñeiro).
Jobe has a 4.12 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in his eight outings this season. But in just one of his eight outings, he has given up four or more runs. Jobe gave up six earned runs in just three and a third innings pitched during a start against the Colorado Rockies on May 7th, which is what caused the inflated ERA. Jobe has appeared to be a great back-end starting pitcher aside from that one bad start; he only needs to figure out how to get better at commanding his deliveries. Jobe has allowed three or more walks in half of his starts, despite the fact that he and the team have both had success.
Still Some Room for Improvement
The Tigers trust in Jobe’s overall skill, despite the fact that walks have always been a problem for him, even in the minor levels. He can trick some of the finest hitters in Major League Baseball with his incredible sinker break, as he demonstrated this past weekend with Toronto Blue Jays batter Bo Bichette. Considering how young he is, it’s amazing how his fastball just shoots out of his hand. Jobe is also able to have a supplementary strikeout pitch that may keep batters guessing with to his slider and changeup mix.
The future is bright for Jackson Jobe, and this writer can’t wait to continue watching his success in Detroit. The Tigers have a lot of talent in their starting rotation, so Jobe can stay under the radar this season and continue to learn how to get better. Overall, the situation is encouraging; he just needs to figure out how to put it all together. Jobe can learn from two elite pitchers on his team: World Series champion Jack Flaherty and 2024 AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal.
