Detroit Tigers select HS pitcher Jackson Jobe with No. 3 overall pick in 2021 MLB Draft

Video scouting report »

One of the best and most advanced high school pitching prospects in recent years, Dylan Bundy went fourth overall as an Oklahoma prepster in 2011 and reached the Majors 15 months later. Fast forward a decade and the Sooner State has another high school arm whom some scouts say is even better in Jobe. He has one of the quickest arms and the best slider in the Draft, and his other pitches have improved this spring. He won Gatorade’s state high school player of the year award after leading Heritage Hall (Oklahoma City) to the Oklahoma 4-A championship and going 9-0 with a 0.13 ERA and 122/5 K/BB ratio in 51 2/3 innings.

Jobe showcases a wipeout slider that sits in the low 80s with elite spin rates above 3,000 rpm, depth and the ability to locate it where he wants. He pitches at 92-94 mph and tops out at 96 with his four-seam fastball, which also features high spin rates and riding action. He has upgraded his low-80s changeup with tumble and will use it against lefties and righties — some evaluators say it’s almost as good as his slider — and he can give hitters another look with an upper-70s curveball with nice shape.

Jobe repeats his easy delivery and provides plenty of strikes, and his athleticism and efficiency should allow him to remain in the rotation for the long term. He’s clearly a pitcher, though he also offers upside as a strong-armed shortstop with bat speed and power potential. He projects as an average hitter with similar speed and might play both ways if he attends college at Mississippi, where he’d be Draft-eligible as a sophomore in 2023.