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Meet Jackson Jobe: MLB's top pitching prospect set to make Detroit Tigers debut

The Detroit Tigers are going all in on the playoff push.

The Tigers called up top prospect Jackson Jobe, a 22-year-old right-handed flamethrower, to join the bullpen for the final push for the franchise's first postseason appearance since 2014. Jobe, who was pitching at Triple-A Toledo, will be eligible to pitch in the postseason if the Tigers advance pending a petition to the commissioner's office to replace an injured player.

The Tigers made the move with a one-game lead over the Minnesota Twins for the final American League wild-card spot. The Tigers are 82-74, tied with the Royals for the second AL wild-card spot, with six games left against the Tampa Bay Rays (78-78) and historically bad Chicago White Sox.

Detroit Tigers prospect Jackson Jobe with Double-A Erie in the 2024 season.
Detroit Tigers prospect Jackson Jobe with Double-A Erie in the 2024 season.

Jobe will be joining a bullpen that has been one of the best in baseball down the stretch. Manager A.J. Hinch has weaponized his relief pitchers to navigate bullpen start after bullpen start ("openers") and string together wins. Now, he will have a new, highly-regarded tool at his disposal.

Jobe is the No. 6 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, and the No. 1 pitching prospect. He also ranks as the No. 2 prospect in the Tigers' organization, behind only centerfielder Max Clark.

More: Detroit Tigers top prospect Jackson Jobe already learning key lessons in Triple-A

Here's more information on the Jobe, the newest member of the Tigers.

Jackson Jobe minor league stats

In three seasons in the Minors, Jobe started 58 games and pitched a total of 233 innings. He had a 2.97 ERA with 261 strikeouts and a 3.22 strikeout-to-walk ratio with an 11-12 record across single-A to a brief stint to close triple-A Toledo's season.

In 2024, Jobe started with single-A West Michigan before a quick promotion to double-A Erie, where he spent most of the season before two starts with the Mud Hens. He had a 5-3 record with a 2.36 ERA and 96 strikeouts to 41 walks across all three levels. He spent most of the time with Erie, making 16 starts with a 1.95 ERA and 81 strikeouts in double-A. In his two triple-A appearances, he gave up six runs on 12 hits in nine innings.

Jobe is considered a high-level pitching prospect because of the combination of elite stuff and an ability to throw a four-pitch mix. He has a fastball that can flirt with triple digits along with a cutter, and two off-speed pitches in a changeup and a wipeout slider considered elite by scouts.

Jackson Jobe MLB draft

The Tigers drafted Jobe with the third-overall pick in the 2021 draft. They drafted Jobe as a high-upside arm out of high school in Oklahoma. The organization invested in him as a future ace of the starting pitching staff because of his elite fastball and ability to command off-speed pitches at 18.

He was the fourth-straight top-five pick for the Tigers in the first round, following Casey Mize, Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson, who are all on the current roster contributing to varying degrees. He was also the fourth right-handed pitcher drafted by the Tigers in the first round in six years, joining Mize, Alex Faedo and Matt Manning.

Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press covering the city's professional teams, the state's two flagship universities and more. Follow Jared on X @jared_ramsey22, and email him at jramsey@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Meet Jackson Jobe: What to know about Detroit Tigers top prospect