Detroit Tigers Top Prospect Makes Major Adjustment Heading to Spring Training Battle

As he enters camp looking to win a job in the starting rotation, Jackson Jobe has added two new pitches.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Jackson Jobe (21) talks to catcher Jake Rogers (34) as they exit the field after top of eighth inning at Game 4 of ALDS at Comerica Park in Detroit on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

According to a recent report in the Detroit Free Press, Detroit Tigers top prospect Jackson Jobe has added two new pitches for 2025 with the hope of creating more strikeouts.

Jobe added two pitches — curveball and two-seam fastball — to his pitch mix in the 2024-25 offseason at PitchingWRX in Oklahoma City while training under personal pitching coach Alex Marney. He now has six pitches: four-seam fastball, cutter, changeup, sweeper, curveball and two-seam fastball.

He wants to generate more strikeouts.

The 22-year-old Jobe enters the season as the No. 5 overall prospect in the sport, per MLB Pipeline. He made his major league debut late in 2024 and helped the Tigers win a wild card series against the Houston Astros in October. He didn't allow a run in 4.0 regular season innings and pitched out of the bullpen upon arriving in Detroit.

Jobe is the former No. 3 overall pick from the MLB Draft (2021).

Earlier reporting this offseason indicated that he had the "inside track" at a starting rotation spot but that's unknown now, seeing as how the Tigers already have Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Alex Cobb and Reese Olson penciled in.

Jobe is battling with former No. 1 overall pick Casey Mize and veteran Kenta Maeda for the No. 5 spot. There are a few others in the mix as well. If Jobe is unable to win the job, it's unknown whether he would go back to the bullpen or would begin the year in Triple-A as a starter.

The following comes from a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:

The 6-foot-2 righty grabbed headlines when he touched 101.8 mph in a Spring Training game on March 12 -- the highest velocity recorded by Statcast during 2024 Spring Training -- and while he never quite got there again the rest of the year, his four-seamer remained a stellar pitch, typically sitting 95-97 mph with strong rise and run metrics. He can still crank it up to 99-100 mph as he did during the postseason

The Tigers will report to spring training this week and will open the regular season on March 27.

Related MiLB Stories

TARPONS HOME REVEALED: After being displaced by the Tampa Bay Rays, the Tampa Tarpons have revealed where they will play in 2025. CLICK HERE:

ON THE RISE: According to reports, Chase Dollander, the top prospect in the Rockies organization, could bypass Triple-A and begin the year in the rotation. CLICK HERE:

SHEETS ON THE MOVE: Gavin Sheets, who formerly played for the Chicago White Sox, has found a new home. CLICK HERE: