DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers drafted high school pitcher Jackson Jobe with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 MLB draft.
Jobe is a right-handed starting pitcher out of Heritage Hall High School in Oklahoma City. He was ranked the No. 7 overall draft prospect according to MLB.com and No. 8 overall according to Baseball America.
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At 18 years old, Jobe fits the profile of a high risk, high reward selection for the Tigers, especially for a top-five pick. He received a 70 grade (on a grading scale between 20 and 80) for his slider from both MLB.com and Baseball America, and it pairs nicely with a fastball that flirts with 100 mph.
Jobe also has an above-average change-up and a slightly above-average curveball to go with his top two offerings. Though he’s young and high school pitchers typically take several years to reach the MLB level, Jobe is considered a more polished pitching prospect, somewhat like former Tiger Rick Porcello.
Before the Tigers’ selection, the Pittsburgh Pirates picked Louisville catcher Henry Davis at No. 1 overall, and the Texas Rangers chose Vanderbilt starting pitcher Jack Leiter at No. 2 overall.
Jobe will join the likes of Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, Matt Manning, Joey Wentz, Alex Faedo and others in what has turned into a deep young pitching corps for the Tigers.
This pick was made just hours after Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene combined for three hits and a walk in the Futures Game in Colorado.
The Tigers had been playing better for two full months heading into the All-Star break, but finished on a sour note, losing all four games to the Minnesota Twins. They’re now back down to 11 games below .500 on the season.