Detroit Tigers Star Prospect Unleashing New Pitches During Spring Training
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There is a lot of excitement at Detroit Tigers camp this spring following their unprecedented run last year to the playoffs.
Despite being under the .500 mark at the All-Star break and being sellers at the deadline, they caught fire and earned the second wild card spot in the American League.
The ride didn’t stop there, as they defeated the Houston Astros in the ALWC before being defeated by the Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS.
Heading into the 2025 season, the Tigers look to have enough to compete for the AL Central given how the offseason went for some of their rivals.
One of the reasons for such a positive vibe around the team is the upgrades that have been made to the pitching staff.
In 2024, the only player that manager A.J. Hinch consistently had to rely on was eventual Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal and rookie Keider Montero.
Injuries and deadline trades depleted their starting pitching depth, but that issue is no more. The rotation now looks like a strength with Jack Flaherty being added back to the mix along with Reese Olson and Casey Mize being healthy.
The battle for the final spots open in the rotation has been heated during spring training with top prospect Jackson Jobe being one of the players vying for a spot.
The highly-touted pitcher made his MLB debut late in 2024 as a reliever. It was the same role he held in the playoffs, but his future is as a starter, likely atop the rotation alongside Skubal.
Already possessing an impressive arsenal of pitches, Jobe is looking to take his production to another level and separate from the pack as he has unleashed a new pitch during spring training games this year.
As shared by MLBPitchClass and Pitch Profiler on X, the emerging star is throwing a new sinker and curveball. Both pitches during his outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Mar. 2 were devastating.
The sinker averaged 96.8 mph and generated a proStuff+ score of 121. Opponents were unable to square the pitch up, as he had a 0.0% barrel rate when throwing the pitch.
His curveball didn’t receive as high of a proStuff+ score with a 98, but it did register a 50.0% whiff rate.
Overall, it was a very solid outing for Jobe, receiving a 108 proStuff+, 23.1% whiff rate and not having a single pitch be barreled up across 3.0 innings of work.
THE SINKER IS HERE AND IT’S BEAUTIFUL https://t.co/fVZh7FGKHD pic.twitter.com/QlNY2DEwKm
— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) March 3, 2025
It will be interesting to see how things play out with the rotation as Jobe has the skills to be an ace. But, he will have to earn that rotation spot as other pitchers are performing at a high level as well this spring.
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Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.