Detroit Tigers Top Prospect Joined Rare Team History in Wild Card Round

Talk about on-the-job training!

Home plate umpire Jordan Baker inspects the equipment of Detroit Tigers pitcher Jackson Jobe (21) as catcher Jake Rogers (34) looks on during the seventh inning of game two of the Wildcard round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on Oct 2. / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers beat the Houston Astros on Wednesday afternoon, eliminating the American League West champions from the playoffs.

The Astros run of seven consecutive years in the ALCS or better is now over, and the Tigers are moving on after their first playoff appearance since 2014.

In the game, Tigers rookie and top prospect Jackson Jobe made his playoff debut, joining some rare team history in the process.

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

Jackson Jobe is 22 years & 64 days old

only Tigers pitchers to appear in a postseason game at a younger age:

2006 Joel Zumaya (6g)
1940 WS G6 Fred Hutchinson
1909 WS G3 Ralph Works

Jackson Jobe is 22 years & 64 days old

only Tigers pitchers to appear in a postseason game at a younger age:

2006 Joel Zumaya (6g)
1940 WS G6 Fred Hutchinson
1909 WS G3 Ralph Works

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 2, 2024

It was a tough first appearance for Jobe, who went 0.1 innings and surrendered two earned runs. He was in line for the loss until the Tigers rallied for four runs in the top of the eighth inning.

It was certainly a trial by fire for Jobe, who made just two appearances in the majors this year. He tossed 4.0 scoreless innings and is the highest-ranked pitching prospect in baseball (per MLB.com).

A former first-round draft pick, Jobe is 11-12 lifetime in the minors with a 2.97 ERA. He's struck out 261 batters in 233.0 minor league innings. He's likely ticketed for a starting role with the Tigers in 2025.

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

After throwing more of a dead-zone fastball in high school, the 6-foot-2 right-hander has added more ride to the heater, and he aims for 18 inches of induced vertical break on the 94-97 mph pitch. As if that wasn’t dangerous enough, his 82-85 mph slider remains his best offering, with spin rates regularly above 3,000 rpm and sweeping horizontal movement of 10-17 inches. He added an 88-92 mph cutter for 2023 that gave him a tighter, more controllable look, and his mid-80s changeup improved with more killed spin, making him a tough at-bat for lefties too.

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