Detroit Tigers top pitching prospect Jackson Jobe gets invite to big-league spring training

Right-hander Jackson Jobe is preparing for his first big-league spring training.

The Detroit Tigers invited Jobe, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 draft, to participate in MLB spring training for the first time in his professional career, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation. He could begin the regular season in Double-A Erie.

The Tigers haven't officially announced their list of non-roster invitees to spring training. Pitchers and catchers, including Jobe, are scheduled for their first workout Feb. 14 in Lakeland, Florida.

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Here's what Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said in November at the general managers meetings when asked about Jobe's potential: "He has dominating stuff. You saw it across multiple levels and in the Fall League. The most important thing for him is he made a real adjustment from Lakeland to West Michigan, where he started absolutely challenging hitters and realizing how good his stuff is. When he was throwing chase pitches, he was often doing hitters a favor, so he started challenging them directly by landing all of his shapes in the zone repeatedly and ending at-bats quickly, which allowed him to go deeper in games. That's going to be a very valuable skill when he gets to the big leagues."

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Jobe, 21, registered a 2.82 ERA with 11 walks (3.4% walk rate) and 103 strikeouts (31.7% strikeout rate) across 79⅔ innings in 20 starts throughout the 2023 season. Those 20 starts account for his work in the Florida Complex League (one start), Low-A Lakeland (six starts), High-A West Michigan (eight starts), Double-A Erie (one start) and the Arizona Fall League (four starts).

The Tigers sent Jobe to the Fall League, where he posted a 2.87 ERA across 15⅔ innings, because he was limited to 16 starts in the regular season. He suffered a lumbar spine issue in spring training and didn't make his season debut until mid-June.

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Jobe had a 3.60 ERA with three walks and 54 strikeouts across 40 innings in High-A West Michigan before the Tigers promoted him to Double-A Erie for one start to end the regular season.

He shoved six scoreless innings with zero walks and six strikeouts in his Double-A debut.

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In the Fall League, Jobe's fastball averaged 96.3 mph — maxing out at 99 mph — with a 44.7% in-zone whiff rate. His changeup generated a whopping 52.6% whiff rate. The fastball and changeup are his most-improved pitches in his repertoire since the Tigers drafted him out of high school.

In the Tigers' farm system, Jobe ranks as the No. 3 prospect on MLB Pipeline and the No. 2 prospect on Baseball America. Among all farm systems, Jobe ranks No. 54 on MLB Pipeline and No. 20 on Baseball America.

MLB Pipeline, unlike Baseball America, hasn't updated its team or national rankings in 2024, though MLB Pipeline recently listed Jobe as the No. 2 right-handed pitching prospect in baseball, behind only 2023 No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Jackson Jobe invited to big-league spring training