Detroit Tigers Prospect’s Crucial Change in Approach Cut His ERA in Half
The Detroit Tigers took a chance on a polarizing pitching prospect in the 2023 MLB draft and it has already looked like a great decision thanks to a key change he has made.
As the MLB.com staff looked around the league for each team's top prospect, the choice of Jaden Hamm was easy for the Tigers.
"As Jason Beck noted in a recent Tigers newsletter, Hamm’s fastball had impressive ride at Middle Tennessee State, but considering his aim was typically at the knees, the heater’s location was much more hittable. He’s set his sights on the top of the zone in the Detroit system, and voilà," said the writers. "His above-average curveball gives him another weapon and solidifies his place as Detroit's second-best pitching prospect behind Jackson Jobe."
Though he entered the season outside of the team's Top 30 prospects, he has shot up the rankings all the way up to the seventh spot.
In a stacked farm system like the Tigers have, that location on the list means even more than it would in most organizations. The first five prospects in Detroit are all in the top 100 oveall. Hamm and catcher Thayron Liranzo likely aren't too far behind their peers.
Hamm was a fifth-round selection that was considered a 'boom-or-bust' player given his reputation with the Blue Raiders.
Over his three seasons there, he posted a 4.56 ERA while splitting time between the rotation and the bullpen. He finished above a 5.00 ERA twice, but one of those seasons came with just 11 innings pitched as a freshman.
He averaged double-digit strikeouts per nine innings, but walked a good bit of batters and gave up more hits than his coaches would like.
Either he was striking batters out or they were getting on base most of the time. The stuff was there, though, which is why the Tigers took the chance on him.
Since changing the location of his fastball, he's looked like the best case scenario of what Detroit was hoping for.
He pitched 12 hitless innings in his rookie ball debut last year after getting drafted. It was exciting, but a very small sample size.
Over 99 innings this season at High-A, he's maintained a 2.64 ERA. Not only has he cut down on the hits and cut down his ERA by over half, down from 5.31 as a senior, but he's striking out more batters than ever at 11.1 K/9.
If the 21-year-old can maintain this success, he won't be outside of the top 100 for much longer.
