Sunday Notes: Jackson Jobe and Andrew Painter Are Promising Power Pitchers

Jackson Jobe supplied a quality quote when asked about last weekend’s three-straight-heaters punchout of Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr..””I’m done with trying to dot a gnat’s ass,” he told a small group of reporters. “It’s, ‘Here’s my stuff. If you hit it, good. Odds are, probably not.”

Jobe is a student of the art and science of his craft, so I proceeded to ask him where he feels he is in terms development. Has the 22-year-old Detroit Tigers right-hander essentially settled into his mound identity, or is there still work left to be done in the pitch lab?

“I’d like to think I got it pretty much all fine-tuned,” replied Jobe, who is No. 9 on our Top 100. “Now it’s just learning the best way to use it, the best way to sequence it. I put my stuff up against anyone in the league on paper, to be completely honest. It’s just a matter of learning how to harness it.”

Asked about any recent changes to his pitch metrics, the rookie of the year candidate cited his slider.

“I’m getting a little bit more depth and horizontal on my cutter, which I call a slider now,” responded Jobe. “It’s just a slider. I’m getting around two inches more depth, and an inch and a half of horizontal. I’m also throwing it harder. I’m really happy with my pitch mix. Like I said, I just have to figure out how to use it to its best capacity.”

Jake Rogers caught Jobe in his eye-opening spring start against the Blue Jays. Not surprisingly, the veteran backstop likes what he sees in the power arsenal.

“He has really good stuff,” Rogers said after the game. “He pairs it well together, from a really hard fastball, with good extension and good ride at the top of the zone, and then there’s the 91-mph cutter/slider. He threw a couple of two-seamers today when he was behind. I didn’t really see much of the breaking ball, but it’s another [weapon]. There is a reason he is viewed as he is, both by the Tigers and around the league. He’s really good.”

Any comps to pitchers he’s caught or faced in the batter’s box?

“Not really,” replied Rogers. “He’s Jackson Jobe.”

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Andrew Painter has yet to make the majors, but he’s already made a name for himself. The 21-year-old right-hander in the Philadelphia Phillies system is No. 6 on our Top 100, with only Roki Sasaki ranking higher in the pitcher category. Back in action after missing last season following Tommy John surgery — he did toss a smattering of frames in the Arizona Fall League — Painter features a fastball that our lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen has likened to Justin Verlander’s.

Unlike Jobe, the 6-foot-7 power pitcher hasn’t delved deep into the data while developing his bat-evading arsenal.

“Not really,” Painter replied when asked if he considers himself a pitching nerd. “This past fall was really my first time looking into metrics. We had Statcast available in the Fall League, but it was kind of from a surface level for me. I didn’t look at it a whole lot.

“I think there are times people get a little too dependent on it,” explained Painter. “At the end of the day, you have to go out there and get outs. That’s always been my thing. Throwing strikes is the key, and the swings will often tell you everything. But it is good to know how my pitches play. If my fastball is lower it tends to get hit around a little more, and if it’s higher I’m usually getting more swing-and-miss.”

Painter doesn’t chase numbers, but given the perusal of his metrics — cursory though it may have been — he does know them better than he previously did. Right?

“Like I said, I just kind of go out there and pitch,” reiterated the righty. “Now it’s a slider, but when I was learning a cutter two years ago, I’d throw one and ask, ‘How’s that?’ They’d give me numbers and I didn’t know what they meant. I’d be like, ‘Is that good? Is that bad? I don’t know.’ I do understand more now, but I still kind of just do my thing.”

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RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS

Ken Caminiti went 8 for 15 against Lance Painter.

Lance Parrish went 13 for 24 against Rick Waits.

Lance Berkman went 17 for 37 against Josh Fogg,

Eric Young went 19 for 39 against John Burkett.

Derrek Lee went 5 for 6 against Burke Badenhop.

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Garrett Stubbs has caught numerous hurlers who possess plus pitches over the past six seasons. Who among them stands out for the unique characteristics of a particular offering?

“[Zack] Wheeler’s fastball, [Aaron] Nola’s curveball, [Cristopher] Sánchez’s changeup, [Orion] Kerkering’s sweeper,” replied Stubbs, naming four of his Phillies teammates. “Their shapes are just a little bit different, and better, than most guys who throw those pitches. We have a lot of really good-stuff guys here.”

Which of the quartet he’d rank at the top elicited an uncertain response.

“I mean, it’s tough to pick between those guys,” said Stubbs who spent three years in Houston before coming to Philadelphia. “I’d probably say Wheeler’s fastball, but Sánchez’s changeup… and Aaron’s curveball is obviously known around the league. I guess I’d pick either Wheeler’s fastball or Sánchez’s changeup.”

As you might expect, I asked the veteran catcher (and sometimes outfielder) for specifics.

“He’s got really good extension,” Stubbs said of Wheeler’s heater. “The [release] height is also lower — a little lower than average — but the extension is the bigger piece. It’s crazy. And then he’s throwing upper 90s.”

As for Sánchez’s changeup, Stubbs explained that while some pitchers will slow down their arm speed, or their “hand will show something,” that’s not the case for the 28-year-old southpaw. Sánchez’s slider looks “exactly like” his sinker.

Could Stubbs recognize it behind the dish without knowing it’s coming?

“No,” said Stubbs. “I’d probably swing and miss with my glove.”

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A quiz:

Which pitcher has the most wins in Philadelphia Phillies franchise history?

The answer can be found below.

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NEWS NOTES

Alex Jensen will be joining the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox’ broadcast team this season after spending last year as the voice of the Double-A Springfield Cardinals. Jensen previously called games for the Class-A Stockton Ports, and he also filled in behind the mic with the Oakland Athletics. Jason Schwartz will replace Jensen in Springfield’s radio booth.

Dr. Glenn Fleisig was honored with the SABR Analytics Conference Lifetime Achievement Award. Fleisig is the research director of the American Sports Medicine Institute and the founding president of the American Baseball Biomechanics Society.

Art Schallock, a southpaw whose career spanned the 1951-1955 seasons, died
earlier this month at age 100. MLB’s oldest living player prior to his death, he made 28 appearances with the New York Yankees, and 30 with the Baltimore Orioles. Schallock pitched a pair of innings for the Yankees in the 1953 World Series.

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The answer to the quiz is Steve Carlton, who won 241 games while wearing a Phillies uniform. If you guessed Robin Roberts, he ranks second in franchise annals with 234 wins.

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Baseball history includes numerous Rule 5 picks who went on to have successful big-league careers with their claiming club. Roberto Clemente is most notable, having being selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1954 after being left unprotected by the Brooklyn Dodgers.

The most notable player taken in the Rule 5, only to be returned to his old team? That would arguably be Cecil Cooper, whom the St. Louis Cardinals selected, only to lose back to the Boston Red Sox, in 1970.

Another noteworthy return took place in 1987. I learned about it talking to longtime Detroit sportswriter Steve Kornacki prior to a Grapefruit League game in Dunedin, Florida.

“At the end of spring training, the Tigers had a decision to make,” Kornacki told me. “It was the last roster spot. What do we do with this Rule-5 guy, John Wetteland? Do we keep him — he’s looked really good — or we keep Jim Walewander, a utility infielder? They decided to keep Walewander and send Wetteland back to the Dodgers. Wetteland ended up saving [330] games — he had an outstanding career — and the Tigers passed on him.”

Later that same year, Kornacki had a question for the quirky infielder: What are you doing with those balls?

“He’d gotten his first home-run ball, the ball from his first hit, and maybe another one,” Kornacki explained. “He said, ‘I’m putting them in the glove compartment of my car, and when it gets full I’ll know that I’ve got a future in Major League Baseball.’”

Walewander ended up playing parts of four big-league seasons, the first two of them as a Tiger, and logged just 52 hits and the one home run. As Detroit fans of a certain age will recall, Walewander was better known for being a fan of the punk band The Dead Milkmen than he was for his exploits on the diamond.

The glove compartment of his car? “I don’t think he filled it,” said Kornacki.

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Which player is the key to the Astros’ success this season? In the opinion of the team’s radio play-by-play broadcaster, it is a nine-time All-Star who has served as Houston’s second baseman since 2011 but is transitioning to another position.

“If I had to pick one player, it would be Jose Altuve,” opined Robert Ford, whose own Houston tenure dates back to 2013. “If he proves to be a capable left fielder, that opens up a lot of things for the Astros. It gives them more production in the outfield, which is an area where they lacked at times last year. It allows them to put other guys at second base, whether it’s Mauricio Dubón, Brendan Rodgers, or whomever. It also makes it a little easier for them to DH Yordan Alvarez more often, since Alvarez plays left field when he’s not DHing. So, I would have to say that’s the key to the season in terms of lineup and defensive flexibility: Jose Altuve’s ability to be effective in left field.”

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Asked the same question, Toronto’s radio play-by-play broadcaster named a 34-year-old right-hander who has toed the rubber for Canada’s team for each of the past three seasons.

“I think the most crucial player for the Blue Jays this season is Kevin Gausman,” said Ben Shulman, who assumed his current role last year. “I think that would surprise a lot of people, because the offense is a big focus for this team. But for me, the path to the playoffs for the Blue Jays is a similar one to their 2023 team. They hit at a middle-of-the-pack rate and basically pitched their way to the playoffs. The starting rotation is a strength of this year’s team.

“Gausman bouncing back from what was an injury-laden year to once again being a Cy Young candidate puts them in a position where they can wins games on the backs of pitching,” continued Shulman. “He can stop losing streaks and propel win streaks. When he’s at his best, you can put him right up there with anyone in Major League Baseball. I think he’s the key for the Blue Jays.”

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SPRING TRAINING STANDOUTS

Detroit’s Casey Mize has pitched 11-and-a-third innings without surrendering a run. He has allowed four hits, with five walks and 14 strikeouts.

Baltimores’s Tomoyuki Sugano pitched 10-and-a-third innings without surrendering a run. He has allowed five hits, with three walks and 11 strikeouts

Colorado’s Antonio Senzatela has allowed 11 hits and one run over 14-and-two-thirds innings. He has walked three and fanned 13.

Arizona’s Eugenio Suárez is 11-for-35 with four doubles and a pair of home runs in 41 plate appearances. His 13 RBIs are tied for tops in the Cactus League.

Milwaukee’s Sal Frelick is 12-for-33 with a double and a home run in 37 plate appearances. He has walked four times and has gone down on strikes just twice.

Washington’s Alex Call is 7-for-22 with four doubles in 32 plate appearances. He has walked 10 times and fanned just once.

The San Francisco Giants are 14-5 record this spring and have the best record among the 30 teams. The Seattle Mariner are 6-16 and have the worst record.

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Which will you follow most this spring: the NBA playoffs, the NHL playoffs, or March Madness? I asked that question to a pair of players— Philadelphia’s Jordan Romano and Toronto’s Davis Schneider —and to Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli.

“I’m a Canadian; I’m a hockey guy,” replied Romano, who hails from Markham, Ontario. “The Four Nations tournament was absolutely electric. That was some of the best hockey I’ve ever watched. I’m a basketball fan too, but it’s hockey for me. Those boys get after it. They play hurt. They grind. They love it. I’m a [Toronto Maple Leafs] guy, so I want to see them go all the way.”

“The NHL playoffs,” echoed Schneider, a New Jersey native who followed the Philadelphia Flyers in his formative years. “I can’t really watch the NBA anymore. Not that it’s become boring, but they mostly just shoot threes. I wasn’t a big hockey guy growing up, but I’ve gotten more into it as I’ve gotten older. It’s fast-paced. To be honest, I think hockey guys are the coolest professional athletes out there. I love the NFL playoffs — that’s the No. 1 thing — but the NHL is what I’m really looking forward to. I went to a Leafs game last year — my first ever playoff hockey game — and it was really cool. Hopefully they can get over that hump this year.”

Baldelli’s answer differed, and not simply because he didn’t opt for hockey. He’s from Rhode Island, but his primary rooting interest is across the pond.

“The NBA playoffs,” answered Baldelli. “That’s because I follow the NBA a little bit more than the NHL or college basketball. But I’m actually really only interested in whether Liverpool is going to take the Premier League championship or win the Champions League. Compared to that, I’m indifferent.”

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A random obscure former player snapshot:

Nick Bierbrodt has the highest batting average in Arizona Diamondbacks franchise history among players with more than one plate appearance. A left-handed pitcher who saw action in five D-Backs games during the 2001 season, Bierbrodt came to the plate 10 times and went 4-for-6 (.667) with two walks and two sacrifice hits. He later went 0-for-2 with a sacrifice for the Texas Rangers, giving him a .500/.600/.625 slash line as a big-leaguer.

Bierbrodt’s pitching record, which included time with four MLB teams, isn’t nearly as impressive. He appeared in 38 games from 2001-2004 and went 6-9 with a 6.66 ERA over 144-and-two-thirds innings. His story includes a near tragedy. In 2002, Bierbrodt suffered a gunshot wound to the chest, but fortunately was able to recover and return to pro ball. In 2007, he played in the Chinese Professional Baseball League for the Brother Elephants.

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LINKS YOU’LL LIKE

Anthony Santander wanted to re-sign with the Orioles, but there was “zero chance” he was going to take what the team offered. Danielle Allentuck has the story at The Baltimore Banner

MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince ranked the top 10 pitching staffs in the game.

Sinkers were the subtlety behind the Tiger’s pitching success last season. Cody Stavenhagen wrote about it for The Athletic (subscription required).

Purple Row’s Joelle Milholm addressed the state of the Colorado Rockies’ coaching staff.

NPR’s Travis Balcomb told the story of how Japanese baseball began at his family’s farm in Maine.

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RANDOM FACTS AND STATS

Toronto’s Bowden Francis has thrown a combined 25-and-third innings, all scoreless, against the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs. In them, the Blue Jays right-hander has allowed nine hits and two walks while fanning 21 batters.

Billy Wagner threw 903 innings, had 422 saves, a 2.31 ERA, a 2.73 FIP, and a 33.2% strikeout rate. He was a seven-time All-Star and never played in a World Series. Aroldis Chapman has thrown 760 innings, has 335 saves, a 2.63 ERA, a 2.41 FIP, and a 40.0% strikeout rate. He is a seven-time All-Star and has won two World Series rings.

The Philadelphia Phillies had 16 consecutive losing seasons from 1933-1948, a streak that included 100 or more losses each year from 1938-1942. The five straight seasons of losing 100 or more games is an MLB record.

The Oakland Athletics signed Dick Allen on today’s date in 1977. The Hall of Fame infielder/outfielder went on to log 200 plate appearances in what turned out to be his final MLB season. He hit five of his 351 career home runs, the last of them against Ron Guidry.

The Cleveland Blues signed Addie Joss on todays date in 1902. The Hall of Fame right-hander went on to pitch for the AL club through 1910, going 160-97 with a 1.89 ERA over 2,327 innings.

Players born on today’s date include Patsy Donovan, a native of County Cork whose 1,814 games and 2,256 hits are the most in history for big-leaguers born in Ireland. Jacobson saw action from 1890-1907, primarily for the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals, frequently serving as a player-manager. Later a scout, he convinced the Boston Red Sox to sign a young pitcher named Babe Ruth. Donovan also went on to be George H.W. Bush’s high school baseball coach.

Also born on today’s date was Rick Reichardt, an outfielder who homered 116 times from 1964-1974 while playing for four teams, mostly the California Angels. A two-sport standout at the University of Wisconsin prior to pro ball, the Madison native led the Big Ten in both home runs and reception in 1963. He played for the Badgers in the 1963 Rose Bowl.

Baby Doll Jacobson — his given name was William Chester — recorded 1,714 hits and a .311 batting average while playing for five teams, primarily the St. Louis Browns, from 1915-1927. Prior to the big leagues, Jacobson played for the Rock Island Islanders, Battle Creek Crickets, Mobile Sea Gulls, and Chattanooga Lookouts.

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