Jackson Jobe has one of the quickest arms and the best slider in the draft class. The Oklahoma native is an Ole Miss commit, a Perfect All-American, state champion, and a possible first-round draft pick. Jobe has thrown two no-hitters in six starts in his senior campaign and struck out 82 batters while giving up just 11 hits, one earned run in 34 innings.
He’s an outstanding athlete, and he’s a prospect as a shortstop, too, with a four-pitch arsenal who has a feel for the changeup with reasonable spin rates on his slider and a mid-90’s fastball. Improvements in Jobe’s delivery must be made, but it might not be worth the risk to change anything, given his talents. The seventh-ranked prospect, according to MLB.com, will be someone to keep an eye on draft day.
Jackson Jobe Draft Profile
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60, Slider: 65, Curveball: 55, Changeup: 60, Control: 50, Overall: 55
Strengths
Jobe checks off every box for a high school pitcher. A strength for him his clean mechanics. He possesses a four-pitch mix and showcases a slider that is MLB ready at 84-85 mph with a spin rate between 2950-3025 rpm and pitches at 92-94 mph while reaching 96 with his four-seam fastball. In addition, Jobe has upgraded his low-80’s changeup, and he can give hitters another look at his upper-70’s curveball. Another strength is his control, which isn’t common in high school pitchers with an athletic frame, plus arm speed with a tick of velocity added.
Jobe’s easy delivery allows him to throw strikes at a consistent rate. He offers advantages as a shortstop due to his power potential; however, this athleticism will have him as either a reliever or starter down the road. The fact that he’ll be draft-eligible as a sophomore and the opportunity to play both ways in college is interesting. However, the upside is worth the risk for any team in desperate need of pitching.
Weaknesses
Jobe tends to leave some pitches over the middle of the plate. Despite having the best slider in the draft class, he can rely too much on the pitch with a two-strike count. He has a lowered arm angle that becomes more hittable. The 18-year old right-hander’s other issue is his lack of durability. Scouts were wary of this and will question whether or not he can hold his stuff deep in games will be a significant development. Jobe will need to develop endurance to pitch late in games. As soon as he starts to improve on both his durability and endurance, Jobe will be one of the few pitchers who’ll strike out batters quite a lot.
Player Comparison
While Jobe has a similar pitch arsenal to Jacob deGrom, one player comparable to the Ole Miss commit is right-handed pitcher Corbin Burnes of the Milwaukee Brewers. Both pitchers use their athleticism as a strength and share similar pitches. What’s more impressive is that Jobe’s average spin rate on his slider would be top in MLB. Burnes is slightly ahead with 2977 rpm while Jimmy Nelson (2987 rpm) and Miguel Castro (3009 rpm) sit in second and first.
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