Detroit Tigers Star Prospect Receives Bold Prediction From Former MLB Executive
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Following their incredible run at the end of the 2024 season, the Detroit Tigers knew they had a few areas of their roster that needed to be upgraded.
Arguably, the position needing it the most was their starting pitching rotation.
Beyond American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, the team didn’t have many options to rely on in 2024. Injuries and the trade of Jack Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers left the team woefully thin.
It didn’t stop the Tigers from finding success as manager A.J. Hinch pressed all the right buttons to eat innings when Skubal wasn’t on the mound.
His “pitching chaos” strategy was incredibly productive, but he knew it wasn’t something that could be used full-time.
That put an emphasis on finding some starting pitching help this offseason, which Detroit did successfully.
Some of it was internal development, such as former No. 1 pick Casey Mize realizing his potential this spring. Reese Olson has remained healthy and the team brought Flaherty back in free agency.
But, the pitcher who people are most excited about behind Skubal this year is star prospect Jackson Jobe.
A unanimous top-five prospect entering the year, he has as much upside as any young pitcher in the game. He was dominant in Double-A last year with a 1.95 ERA across 73.2 innings with 81 strikeouts.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic is expecting similar dominance in the first year full season as a Major League player, selecting him for his All Breakout team this year and making an incredibly bold prediction about his future.
“Jobe is my preseason pick for AL rookie pitcher of the year and I’m also going to predict that he’ll eventually win a Cy Young Award…He’s the second-best pitching prospect in the sport, behind only Roki Sasaki,” the former MLB executive wrote.
He already possesses the arsenal to find success right away with three dominant pitches. His fastball sits in the mid-90s with regularity and his slider is a legitimate wipeout pitch.
A changeup that is already considered a plus-plus offering gives him three reliable pitches to get out of any situation.
Despite being only 22 years old, he has the poise and confidence of a seasoned veteran and is never rattled on the mound. Pitching in important games down the stretch of 2024 and getting into playoff games, albeit without positive results, will help his development as well.
With a sky-high ceiling, it is going to be a lot of fun for Tigers fans watching him and Skubal atop the rotation for years to come.
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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.