Detroit Tigers Top Prospect Jackson Jobe Unveils Devastating New Pitch

Spring training is a great opportunity for pitchers to hone their new offerings, and Detroit Tigers starter Jackson Jobe has unveiled an absurdly effective new pitch in his early showings.

Oct 10, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Jackson Jobe (21) pitches in the in the eighth inning against the Cleveland Guardians during game four of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Comerica Park. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Detroit Tigers top prospect Jackson Jobe has caught the attention of the baseball world with his rise from high draft pick to being ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the sport by MLB Pipeline.

But over the last month, Jobe's already high stock has been sent soaring, as he has produced a 3.12 ERA and a 0.81 WHIP over 8.2 innings pitched in three starts since the beginning of spring training.

Jobe got his feet wet in the Major Leagues in 2024 when he made two appearances in the regular season before being thrown right into the fire for two postseason appearances.

Now, he is making a strong case for a spot in Detroit's 2025 starting rotation as the Tigers look to build upon the momentum they generated with their surprise postseason run a year ago.

Part of this effort on Jobe's part is the unveiling of a new offering in the form of a curveball. The pitch looks so good that it grabbed the attention of MLB.com's David Adler, who ranked it among the top 15 new pitches we've seen from hurlers in spring training.

"[Jobe] showed a four-pitch arsenal when he earned his first big league callup for the Tigers' playoff push last September," Adler wrote. "Now Jobe has a fifth pitch, and it looks like it's going to be a really good one. Jobe's new curveball is an absolute hammer. It's averaging 83 mph with an elite 3,030 rpm spin rate this spring, with 14 inches of induced downward break and 12 inches of horizontal break.

"In 2024, only nine big league pitchers averaged 3,000-plus rpm on their curveball, and Jobe's spin is generating a ton of movement, especially for a curveball at that velocity."

A high-spin curveball will do wonders for Jobe's arsenal, as it will play perfectly off his high-velocity four-seam fastball.

With all of the small sample size caveats necessary, Jobe threw 27 four-seam fastballs last regular season, Jobe averaged 97.0 mph on the offering with a spin rate of 2,358 rpm.

A curveball spinning at over 3,000 rpm should do very well to deceive hitters and induce swings and misses, and that factor would serve as a major boon to Jobe's ability to retire hitters via the strikeout, something he struggled to do in his very limited showings in 2024.

Jobe has all of the makings of a tough customer on the hill. He's difficult to square up and has serious heat with above average secondary offerings. A wipeout power curveball could be exactly what it takes to get him to the next level, and it looks like he is well on his way to adding just that.

Recommended Articles

feed