Jackson Jobe, the Detroit Tigers 1st round draft pick in 2021, pitches strong in High-A debut

When Jackson Jobe made his debut on Saturday night at LMCU Ballpark, it was in front of 8,524 fans, the largest crowd for a Whitecaps game this season. It was a different experience for Jobe than any of his starts in Lakeland, where the crowds can be rather light.

His final stat line for the evening was good. Five innings, allowing one run on four hits, walked one and struck out three. He struck out one of the Chicago Cubs’ best prospects in Pete Crow-Armstrong on three pitches, fastball, changeup and slider. Overall, his fastball hit 97 on the evening, averaging 93-95. He showed his best pitch, a slider, averaging around 83-85, curve at 77-79 and a changeup. The one player who hit him pretty hard was outfielder Owen Caissie, who doubled and homered off Jobe in both plate appearances.

Overall, the night could not have been better for Jobe, who may have silenced a part of the Tigers’ fan base who wanted Detroit to pick a shortstop instead. This is Jobe’s second full season as a starting pitcher. Prior to his senior season in high school, Jobe was primarily a shortstop, pitching out of the bullpen. But in the May 7th, 2021 article in Baseball America($), things changed.

 “Last February, I got on a weighted ball program, started working on my mechanics, and started getting in the weight room. Then I started my season, got a few games, and everything got shut down, and then I had another three months to work on my size, getting stronger, my mechanics, doing my weighted ball program, and cleaning up my arm path.”

Jobe still has ways to go as he continues to grow as a starter. But for now, you can watch him for a few more starts this season instead of box score watching.