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What Scott Harris learned from Theo Epstein to improve Detroit Tigers

The “Days of Roar” podcast talks with ESPN’s Jesse Rogers about what lessons Scott Harris gained from Theo Epstein to mold the Detroit Tigers.

The Detroit Tigers selected left-hander Ben Jacobs from Arizona State on Sunday, July 13, in the third round of the 2025 MLB Draft, at No. 98 overall.

The 6-foot-1 Jacobs is the third third-round pick selected by Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris. In 2023, Harris selected left-hander Paul Wilson 76th overall from Lakeridge High School in Oregon. In 2024, he selected right-hander Josh Randall 85th overall from the University of San Diego.

Jacobs, at 21 the No. 107 prospect in the draft, according to MLB Pipeline, hails from Huntington Beach, California.

Jacobs began his college career at UCLA, but transferred to Arizona State as a sophomore for the 2024 season. Jacobs became the Sun Devils’ ace as a junior in 2025, finishing with seven wins and a 4.95 ERA. His 102 strikeouts were 43rd nationally, and his 13.49 strikeouts-per-nine-innings rate was 11th nationally.

Jacobs has a solid three-pitch repertoire that all have some level of deception to them, led by a fastball that averages 92 mph, a slider and a solid-fading changeup that hangs in the low 80s, according to MLB Pipeline.

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Although Jacobs doesn’t have one exceptional pitch, which may limit his ceiling, he has a decent mastery of all three pitches and can execute all of them, with solid mechanics to improve his control in the zone.

The Tigers earlier Sunday picked Jordan Yost, a Florida-committed shortstop from Sickles High School, in Tampa, Florida, with the No. 24 overall pick in the first round. They took another high schooler in power-hitting catcher Michael Oliveto, a Yale commit from New York state, with their second pick. In the second round, at No. 62 overall, the Tigers drafted Oklahoma right-hander Malachi Witherspoon.

The No. 98 pick comes with a recommended bonus slot value of $780,600, though teams can exceed that to sign picks as long as they do not exceed their total bonus pool. If the Tigers sign the No. 98 pick for less than slot, those savings can be applied to picks elsewhere in the draft. The Tigers have $10,990,800 to spend on their 21 draft picks this year, the 17th-most in baseball. Teams are allowed to exceed the allotment for picks by 5% before paying a 75% fine on the overage. No MLB team has exceeded the 5% limit since the slots were created.

The Tigers’ next pick is 129th overall in the fourth round on Monday, July 14.

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Day 2 of the 2025 MLB Draft, featuring Rounds 4-20, begins Monday at 11:30 a.m. on MLB.com. The Tigers have 21 picks in total.