Detroit Tigers Will Add Rookie of the Year Contender to Their Playoff-Caliber Roster
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The Detroit Tigers finished the 2024 regular season on a historic tear after entering September just one game above .500. That resulted in the Tigers making the playoffs for the first time since 2014. Detroit took down the Astros in their Wild Card matchup, before falling to rival Cleveland in the Divisional round, three games to two.
No team, or fanbase, wants to celebrate a season that ends with a postseason loss, especially when it comes by the hand of a division foe. But at the end of the day, last year was a success for the Tigers. More importantly, there is reason for optimism in Detroit moving forward.
The Tigers are positioned to add a Rookie of the Year contender, Jackson Jobe, to the rotation for their 2025 campaign. Detroit selected Jobe third overall in the 2021 MLB draft, directly out of high school. Jobe is a 6'2", 190 pound right hander that will turn 23-years-old in late July.
His fastball is consistently clocked in the upper 90's, but it's his off-speed repertoire that really turns heads. His changeup velocity is in the mid 80's, with enough movement to be a high-quality put away pitch on its own. His slider has the potential to be among the best pitches in the game.
Jobe's premium slider sits in the low 80's, with spin rates that hit 3,000 rpm. When it's well located, you'd be hard pressed to find a prettier, more devastating pitch. Jobe's also features a cutter, that comes in harder in the high 80's, but with less movement than the slider.
Jobe was called up to the bigs in late September, only appearing in two regular season games, throwing four-scoreless innings in relief. He also made two appearances in the postseason, giving up runs in both outings, finishing with a 16.20 ERA over 1.2 innings and a blown save against Houston.
Four games is an extremely small sample, but it's clear the Tigers view him as ready, otherwise he wouldn't have seen postseason action, especially not in close games.
Jobe pitched in the minors for three years, including most of 2024. Collectively he appeared in 58 games, starting all of them, compiling a 2.97 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP and 261 strikeouts in 233 innings.
Jobe's production improved in each of his three minor league seasons, where opposing batters hit only .178 against him in 2024. In the minors, Jobe exhibited an encouraging combination of progress and dominance.
The American League has a handful of quality contenders in this year's Rookie of the Year race, but Jobe has the opportunity and the upside to finish ahead of them all. Long term, if he can put it all together, he has the stuff to contend for Cy Young awards in the future.
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Ryan Reynolds has worked in sports media since 2019, where he’s primarily covered the NFL. He got his start writing for Evan Silva and Adam Levitan’s Establish the Run where Ryan became an authority on NFL awards markets. Ryan recently served as an Associate Director and content headliner for former NFL executives Joe Banner and Mike Tannenbaum at The 33rd Team. Ryan has also made multiple guest appearances on Fantasy Sports Radio on SiriusXM and VSiN. Outside of sports Ryan has a bachelor’s degree in accounting, graduating with honors from the University of Minnesota. He now has nearly a decade’s worth of experience in management. You can find Ryan on X @RyanReynoldsNFL or email him at RyanReynoldsNFL@gmail.com.