Detroit Tigers Top Prospect Voted American League Rookie of the Year Favorite

The Detroit Tigers have rebuilt their franchise largely on the back of homegrown young talent, and that talent is a massive reason why they were able to make the miraculous playoff run they pulled off this past season.

With a young core that has been built and assembled the right way, the Tigers have more talent coming up the pipe from one of baseball's best farm systems. Young future stars who are another year or two away include guys like Max Clark, Kevin McGonigle, and Bryce Rainer, there's also a couple of players who have only just started to break the MLB ice but should make an impact in 2025.

But of those possibilities, one stands out high above the rest within Detroit's organization in Tigers top prospect and top-five overall prospect right-handed pitcher Jackson Jobe.

Getting called up at the end of the regular season, Jobe somewhat controversially was named to the team's playoff roster and thrown to the wolves right away. While things didn't exactly go great right away, Jobe is fully expected to be a major part of Detroit's plans in 2025.

In a vote surveying executives, general managers, scouting departments, and more from all 30 MLB teams, Jobe tied for first in vote predictions as to who is going to win the American League Rookie of the Year, sharing a 19.1% mark with Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony.

"Jobe, who tied Anthony for the most votes, got his feet wet late last year and then got thrown into the very hot postseason fire," Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com wrote in an article detailing the survey results. "He’s ready for a shot at the Tigers’ rotation."

Jobe was a first round pick for the Tigers in the 2021 MLB Draft, taken No. 3 overall straight out of Heritage Hall High School in Oklahoma City, Okla.

In three full minor league seasons, Jobe has begun to look exactly like the kind of prospect he was billed up to be and has only gotten better as he's gotten a little bit older. Still just 22 years old, Detroit will be asking a ton out of the fireball-throwing righty when he presumptively is placed into the starting rotation to begin the season.

But the organization has reason to believe Jobe is ready for whatever comes at him. If he can step into the MLB and right away be a serious candidate for Rookie of the Year like numerous high profile decision makers think he can, the Tigers will immediately have one of the best 1-2 punches in baseball with Jobe and Tarik Skubal, something that in turn could lead to even more playoff success than they experienced in 2024.