In his spring training debut, Tigers top pitching prospect Jackson Jobe made it look easy.
Throwing triple-digit heaters and nasty sliders and changeups, Jobe worked a 1-2-3 ninth and picked up the save in the Tigers' 1-0 win over the Twins on Tuesday in the Grapefruit League.
The caveats: Jobe's performance came against three lower-level prospects, which is the sort of competition he already dominated last season. And A.J. Hinch has already made it clear to Jobe that he's not breaking camp with the big club, no matter what he does this spring.
Still, Jobe's outing was something to behold. And yet another reminder why the 21-year-old, drafted third overall by the Tigers in 2021, is the second best right-handed pitching prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. With stuff like this, Jobe has a legit chance this season to jump from Double-A to Detroit:
Against Jake Rucker: 100 mph fastball in, 98 mph fastball up, 95 mph fastball at the knees, groundout to short on a slider.
Against Dylan Neuse: slider for a whiff, 101 mph fastball for a whiff, 102 mph fastball up, changeup down, 101 mph fastball at the knees for a called third strike.
Against Willie Joe Garry: 96 mph fastball for a whiff, changeup for a whiff, changeup for a whiff.
Jobe posted a 2.81 ERA in 16 starts while he climbed the minors last season, with a staggering 84 strikeouts to six walks in 64 innings. He finished out at Double-A, where he's expected to start this year.
Shouldn't be long before we see him in the bigs.