AA has been a big, rough step for him. He is way young, so hooefully this is the start of the “click” for him.
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Max Anderson’s internal reaction while he wallows in Toledo and watches Jamai, Short, and Perez flounder in the league where he cant even get a chance and a cup of coffee because of “reasons":
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Liranzo showing signs of life
https://x.com/tigersMLreport/status/2059420395975983490?s=20
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That’s some serious opposite field power from Anderson.
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Guy wants a taste of the Bigs. Overdue.
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Need to get the Max and Max guys up to the show. WTF
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He’s no longer in the minor but as painful as the Giants have been this is a kernel of hope.
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https://x.com/baseballisdead_/status/2062946779302092875?s=46
Very impressive. He’s going to be so damn good as his grown man strength arrives.
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K% on Eldredge is better this year in MLB, but 29/30% in high minors. Tall guys have swing and miss issues early and he looks like he can keep that at non problematical levels. Nice player.
For sure. But it’s not like Richie Sexson where you visibly see the hands extend early in the swing path exposing an obvious inside vulnerability. IMO Eldridge keeps his hands in decently well for such a long levered slugger.
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Sexson was The Mountain in GoT. Just huge.
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It just feels like there’s a bit more natural hitting instinct and skill to Bryce. Though I have an extreme bias here of course.
Lot more than Sexson. Less than Judge. Big range there.
Eldredge is lanky enough to not be in the Frank Howard/Killerbrew/Adam Dunn mold. More like Winfield/Jayson Heyward. Wide range there too.
The first two I only knew from home run derby reruns. Which is a show that they absolutely need to bring back.
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https://x.com/coach_yac/status/2064844537646756161?s=46
Youngest player in MLB history with a walk off Grand Slam. Roberto Clemente was the prior record holder. He turned out to be okay.
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Good to see him back
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hyyperbole anyone…
# Tigers prospect Ben Jacobs reminds me of a young Tarik Skubal
full article at link
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t’s like some Tarik Skubal magic has rubbed off on Ben Jacobs, a Detroit Tigers prospect whose stock has soared.
During the offseason, Jacobs was throwing a bullpen at Arizona State, getting ready for the minor league season.
Skubal, the reigning two-time Cy Young Award winner, was also training at Arizona State at the same time, getting ready to pitch for the Tigers.
“He lives in Arizona in the offseason, and he was throwing all of his bullpens at Arizona State,” Jacobs said Sunday, June 7, of Skubal. “I got to sit and watch and see what he does. I had some conversations with him. He even helped me with one of my bullpens. He stood up and coached me through it, and it was … “
Jacobs broke into a smile, thinking about getting pointers from one of his favorite players. Someone he has always looked up to.
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“It was insane,” Jacobs said.
You wanna know what’s insane, to borrow a phrase?
How Jacobs has been on a rocket-ship ride ever since.
Jacobs, a lefty just like Skubal, was named one of 10 early breakout players of the early minor league season by MLB Pipeline.
Not breakout players in the Tigers system.
One of 10 breakout players in all of professional baseball and one of only two pitchers listed.
So, clearly, he’s somebody Tigers fans should know more about.
==
Jacobs didn’t have a great year at Arizona State. He pitched in 16 games and had a 4.95 ERA. But one stat did jump out: 120 strikeouts in 83⅔ innings.
“There was not too much Tiger talk before the draft, and then my agent called like two picks before and said the Tigers are taking me,” Jacobs said.
The Tigers selected Jacobs in the third round, No. 98 overall.
“I was just ecstatic,” Jacobs said.
In part because of how the Tigers handled Skubal.
“I’ve been following Skubal my whole life, even before I got drafted by the Tigers,” Jacobs said. “He was my favorite pitcher, so it’s incredible to see that what they were able to do with him. It makes me really eager to be a part of this organization, knowing what’s capable for pitching development.”
There is something else Jacobs admires about Skubal. Something he can relate to.
==
The Tigers were also attracted to Jacobs’ ability to strike people out. He averaged 13.2 strikeouts per nine innings throughout his college career, which started at UCLA.
After the draft, the Tigers basically shut down Jacobs, letting his arm rest.
“We didn’t start throwing again until late in the fall,” Jacobs said. “Then we built up in our throwing program while we were home.”
That time at home was important because he was able to work out and train, and the speed of his four-seam fastball spiked.
“I had a big velo jump,” he said. “In college I was like 90 to 92 [mph], maybe hitting some 93s. But had a good offseason training and was getting up to 96 a bunch in the spring.”
That four-seam is his bread-and-butter pitch.
“That’s where I get most of my strikeouts and whiffs because of the vertical break on it,” he said. “Then I have a curveball, which I’m starting to throw a lot more. I didn’t throw it too much in college, and that’s been my kind of my main breaking ball. I’ve had the splitter, too, which is my second-best pitch. I throw that a lot, started throwing that at the beginning of college, and then I got a slider that I’m still working on every day. It’s probably my worst pitch, but I’m trying to get better at it every day.”
He started out this season at Lakeland, the Tigers’ single-A affiliate, pitching in four games, getting 24 strikeouts with just six walks in 16⅔ innings. He had a 0.84 WHIP and allowed just two runs.
So the Tigers promoted him to High-A West Michigan.
“The fastball plays nicely with a flat approach angle as he gets down the mound,” wrote Sam Dykstra from MLB Pipeline. “It sets up his low-80s slider, upper-70s curveball and low-80s changeup nicely. The combo especially shows good velocity separation and drop compared to the heater, helping Jacobs achieve near-even splits at Lakeland and West Michigan.”
Jacobs was surprised to be in West Michigan this fast.
“To be honest with you, it was a lot earlier than I thought it would be, so it kind of caught me off guard a little bit,” he said.
But he’s loving it. Loving the Michigan weather just outside Grand Rapids. Loving the fans.
As the season has progressed, some of his newfound velocity has dwindled as he has put more pitches on his arm.
But to this point, the Tigers aren’t messing with his mechanics.
Because there is no point in breaking what is clearly not broken.
“Obviously there needs to be some development over time for me, for example, filling up the zone a little bit more, and kind of dwindling down the walks,” he said. “They try and really just keep it simple, and I love that about them.”
==
Ink tells the real story about Ben Jacobs
So, that’s the baseball side of his story.
But the real story – who he is – can be found in an interesting collection of tattoos on his right arm.
“This is the first one,” he said, describing his tattoos. “I got an oak tree. They’re the strongest tree, so they persevere through storms and lightning. That’s why I got it.”
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