Detroit Tigers Top Prospect May Have Difficulty Cracking Opening Day Roster
The Detroit Tigers find themselves in a spot where it did not look like they'd be at the midway point of the offseason.
Just last month, it looked to be a sure thing top prospect Jackson Jobe would not only crack the Opening Day roster, but potentially be asked to take on a significant role in the starting rotation right away. The depth looked like a major concern behind Tarik Skubal and Reese Olson, and Jobe being the No. 3 starter looked to be in the cards.
Fast forward to this point and things are looking differently in the Tigers rotation.
For one, obviously the return of Jack Flaherty locks him into place at the No. 2 ahead of Olson. Beyond the top three however, there may be a much brighter outlook in what Detroit has in the building already than initially suspected.
Free agent signing Alex Cobb has already gone down with a hip injury and his Opening Day status looks grim which could bode well for Jobe's chances. Beyond that, two other starters have made extremely strong spring training debuts.
Though he had been virtually cast aside after a move to the bullpen to end the 2024 season, Kenta Maeda came out on Saturday and dealt two scoreless and hitless innings with four strikeouts. Even more impressive was his increased velocity from this point last year, throwing the ball five to six mph harder than he was and showing he could be primed for a major bounce back season.
Another somewhat forgotten name who made a quality start on Sunday afternoon is former No. 1 overall pick and top prospect Casey Mize. In two innings, Mize threw two scoreless frames of his own with two hits and no runs, potentially setting himself up to try to claim one of the back end spots himself.
While of course this is a fantastic problem to have and shows the Tigers depth in the rotation may not be the weakness it was initially feared it could be, it puts the team in a tough spot with Jobe.
The 22-year-old's newly developed curveball and dominant stuff has been all the talk in camp thus far and Jobe looks ready to potentially be a star at the next level.
Expecting ace-quality outings from a rookie right away is foolish, but letting Jobe learn on the job of being an MLB pitcher may be the best long-term outcome for the franchise.
In the short-term however, if Detroit is trying to win as many games as possible and potentially contend for a championship this season in 2025, Tigers decision makers are going to have to weigh whether or not that means the youngster claiming a spot in the rotation straight out of the gate, or if they should give another shot to their multiple redemption projects.
It will not be an easy decision to say the least, but what seems undoubtable is the path towards Jobe making the Opening Day roster has grown at least slightly narrower over the weekend.
