Detroit Tigers Top Prospect Has "Inside Track" at Rotation Spot This Spring

After appearing in the bullpen during the playoffs in 2024, flamethrower Jackson Jobe could win a job in the starting five at the outset of 2025.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Jackson Jobe (21) throws against Cleveland Guardians during the 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 Athletic, Detroit Tigers' flamethrowing top prospect Jackson Jobe has the "inside track" at a starting rotation spot this spring.

Per the article:

The vibe entering spring training is this: The Tigers want Jobe to make the rotation. These things could always change, but so long as Jobe has an adequate spring and displays his high-level stuff, he has the inside track for a rotation spot.

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.

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

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 Athletic cites Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson and Alex Cobb as rotation locks, while Jobe will be competing with Kenta Maeda, Casey Mize, Keider Montero, Ty Madden, Matt Manning and Brant Hurter for the four and five spots.

The Tigers report to spring training in less than two weeks and open the season on March 27.

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