SAN FRANCISCO -- When Jackson Jobe took the mound against the Giants at Oracle Park on Tuesday night in the Tigers¡¯ final exhibition game ahead of the 2025 season, he did so knowing he was on the cusp of a golden opportunity.
Jobe, MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 5 prospect overall and No. 2 pitching prospect, commanded a spot in Detroit¡¯s starting rotation out of Spring Training. Alongside fellow right-hander Casey Mize, the pair filled out what looks to be one of the most formidable starting rotations in baseball in 2025.
Jobe, 22, did appear in two regular-season games down the stretch for the Tigers last season, making two more appearances in the postseason ¨C though all four of these outings were in relief.
That means that the next time he takes the hill, Jobe will be living out a childhood dream that has fueled his drive toward a spot in Detroit¡¯s present and future, as well as a potential bid for Detroit¡¯s first Rookie of the Year Award since Michael Fulmer in 2016.
¡°It¡¯s super cool,¡± said Jobe of his situation after concluding his spring by striking out five in four innings on three different pitches with his only blemish being a two-run homer to San Francisco¡¯s Tyler Fitzgerald. ¡°I definitely got thrown into the fire [pitching in the postseason], like you said. That was an incredible experience. I¡¯m hoping I get the same kind of nerves and excitement going into this one, which I think I will. So I¡¯m super pumped.¡±
Mize, too, impressed in Tuesday¡¯s 4-3 loss to the Giants, recording seven strikeouts and finishing his spring with a 1.89 ERA ¨C as both right-handers flashed the sort of skills Detroit would love to see every fifth day.
A strong spring showing saw Jobe post a 3.86 ERA in five games, trotting out a new curveball to add to his versatile pitch mix that last season featured a four-seam fastball, a cutter, a changeup, and a sweeper.
In Tuesday night¡¯s final tuneup before the regular season, Jobe threw 68 pitches, splitting up his repertoire with 25 four-seamers, 14 cutters, seven sinkers, three sweepers and nine of those curveballs ¨C generating four swings and two whiffs on the offering, including two of his strikeouts.
¡°I'm going to keep mixing it in,¡± said Jobe of the curve. ¡°I felt like I threw some good ones and threw some not-so-good ones today, so as I keep going, I¡¯ll keep mixing it in and continue to get a better feel for it. But I feel good about where everything¡¯s at.¡±
The sparkling young phenom heads into 2025 as part of a Tigers rotation that the club will need to rely upon in order to prove the postseason push of ¡®24 wasn¡¯t a fluke.
Anchored by reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, Detroit will be looking to Jack Flaherty, Jobe, Mize, and Reese Olson to lay the foundation for a young offense on a daily basis.
¡°He¡¯s everything you¡¯d expect out of a guy who won a Cy Young,¡± said Jobe of Skubal. "He¡¯s super dialed, he takes his work super seriously, so to share the same clubhouse with him and get to work with him is pretty cool.¡±
Some last-minute uncertainty regarding the club¡¯s outfield rotation caused by injury setbacks to Wenceel P¨¦rez, Parker Meadows, Matt Vierling and the addition of veteran outfielder Manuel Margot will affect the lineup right out of the gate ¨C making the rotation arms even more crucial for the Tigers.
Detroit¡¯s offense was 24th in the Majors with a cumulative .234 average a season ago, despite a second-half surge that powered the club to a Wild Card berth and Wild Card Series win over Houston. If this rotation is able to be the anchor it needs to be, the Tigers will have a great chance to make even more noise in the AL Central.
¡°I think we have high expectations for this year,¡± Jobe said, ¡°especially after what we did last year. Everyone expects to be in that situation and go even further, so we're excited for it. The boys are pumped.¡±
Their rotation solidified and with lofty goals ahead of them, the Tigers will begin their quest on Thursday against the high-powered Dodgers in Los Angeles.
Not a bad early challenge for a club eager to prove its mettle on the national scene.