Detroit Tigers Unheralded Pitching Prospect Will Emerge in First Professional Year
A lot of attention has been given to the Detroit Tigers pitching staff this offseason, and rightfully so.
It was arguably the biggest need they had coming into the winter after injuries and trades decimated the unit in 2024. It didn’t end up hurting them in the second half, as they went on their torrid run with a unique strategy developed by manager A.J. Hinch.
“Pitching Chaos” was only made possible because they had a star anchoring the rotation in Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. Everyone else stepped up in unorthodox roles as well, but the team knew it wasn’t a sustainable strategy.
Looking to bolster the starting rotation, the Tigers made two moves this offseason; signing veteran Alex Cobb to a one-year, $15 million deal and reuniting with Jack Flaherty on a two-year, $35 million deal.
As long as Cobb can stay healthy, he has proven to be a solid contributor. Flaherty was excellent after signing a one-year deal with Detroit ahead of the 2024 campaign, and was flipped to the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the deadline.
They will assuredly be part of the mix behind Skubal along with some combination of Reese Olson, Keider Montero and top prospect Jackson Jobe.
Unanimously ranked in the top 10 across every outlet, there is a lot of excitement surrounding Jobe as he has the potential to be an ace at some point.
However, he isn’t the only young pitcher that the Tigers have in their system worth keeping an eye on.
Another player to watch is lefty Ethan Schiefelbein, whom Detroit landed out of Corona High School in Corona, California in the 2024 MLB draft.
“I loved Schiefelbein in my look at him last spring before the Tigers gave him $1.8 million after the second round. What stood out most to me was the Zack Greinke-esque way that he toyed with hitters, adding and subtracting to every pitch in velocity and shape. He has the classic projection characteristics that indicate more stuff is coming and the feel for the game to make the most out of his stuff if it ends up being fringy,” wrote Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.
His competitive spirit is something that cannot be ignored on the mound as the young lefty doesn’t back down from anyone.
Schiefelbein has command and control beyond what high school prospects normally possess, and his feel to snap off breaking pitches is also very impressive.
Right now, he has three solid pitches, including a fastball that touches 92 mph and can be pinpointed around the zone. He has two off-speed breaking pitches, a slider and a curveball, that he uses to keep batters guessing.
With his skill set and high ceiling, he could be the Tigers' next star pitching prospect who gets on a Jobe-esque track and rockets through their pipeline.
Schiefelbein will be someone Detroit fans should keep an eye on going forward.
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Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.