By Jason Beck
DUNEDIN, Fla. — Jackson Jobe came into Spring Training armed with an array of pitches, including a curveball and a sinker he added in the offseason, in an effort to win a spot in the Tigers’ rotation. Sometimes, though, he can still keep it simple and let the fastball eat.
Doing so against one of baseball’s most dangerous fastball hitters wouldn’t normally be the right time. But after seeing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. struggle with a 99 mph two-seamer in his first at-bat on Saturday, Jobe decided to bring the heat until the Blue Jays slugger showed he could catch up to it.
“I’m done with trying to dot a gnat’s [butt],” Jobe said afterwards. “Here’s my stuff. If you hit it, great. Odds are, you’re probably not.”
Guerrero tried. He fouled back a 98 mph fastball at the top of the zone but was late when Jobe went back to the high fastball at 97 on the next pitch.
Jobe could have gone to the curveball to try to buckle the behemoth. He had other ideas.
“Threw him two heaters; he was late on both of them,” Jobe said. “So I threw another heater and got him.”
This one was up and off the plate, daring Guerrero to chase it. Guerrero geared up for it but didn’t have a chance.
It was Jobe’s lone strikeout Saturday, and it ended up being his final out — his third start of the spring ending with back-to-back walks after that. But the showdown was an impressive exhibit of how Jobe is blessed with not only pitches but moxie. The Tigers’ top prospect and MLB’s No. 5 prospect recorded just four swinging strikes over his 50-pitch performance, covering 3 2/3 scoreless innings, but three of those whiffs came against Guerrero.
“We want to pitch ahead; that’s why we preach first-pitch strikes a lot,” manager A.J. Hinch said after the Tigers’ 5-0 loss. “It’s not just see if he can hit it, because he can. So we’ve got to be disciplined by pitching ahead and then attacking the strike zone to give us some better chances as the count gets deeper.”
The Blue Jays trotted out their big bats against Jobe, including Guerrero, Bo Bichette, Anthony Santander, George Springer and Alejandro Kirk. Jobe was not only ready but eager for it. His lone hit allowed was a groundball infield single from Nathan Lukes that sent second baseman Andy Ibáñez slipping to the ground as he tried to field it. Ibáñez still nearly threw out Lukes from the ground.
“I”m not going to be mad about giving up one hit — if you want to call it a hit — to this lineup,” Jobe said. “I’m pretty stoked about it. I feel good.”
More than half of Jobe’s pitches were fastballs, either four- or two-seams. Nobody squared him up.
“Especially right now, this being the third outing of the spring, not even close to being in midseason form, going out and getting some weak contact against this lineup — probably one of the better ones in the league — and putting up zeros, it’s definitely big for the confidence of mine,” Jobe said. “I feel like I belong in this league.”
Top Prospects: Jackson Jobe, RHP, Tigers
Jobe’s performance was reminiscent of the other starter at TD Ballpark on Saturday, former Tigers Cy Young winner Max Scherzer. Jobe was admittedly more of a Tim Lincecum fan as he grew up following the Giants, but he also watched Scherzer. He and his dad, golfer Brandt Jobe, were at Comerica Park for Game 4 of the 2012 World Series, when Scherzer started opposite Matt Cain.
