Hamm was the Midwest League’s Pitcher of the Year in his first full pro season.
The Detroit Tigers have done pretty well in the pitching department the past few years, but beyond Jackson Jobe, their system is finally led by positional prospects. Jobe is set to join the party full-time in 2025, and the club got good work out of several other pitching prospects last year, but the well isn’t going to run dry. Next up is 2023 fifth rounder Jaden Hamm, who carved through the Midwest League in 2024 en route to Pitcher of the Year honors.
The Tigers drafted the right-hander out of Middle Tennessee State. They identified the excellent ride on his fastball, something that he didn’t take enough advantage of during his college days. He was still trying to pitch down in the zone far too much, but the Tigers turned Hamm loose with the instructions to pump fastballs inside and out at the top of the strike zone. The results were immediate.
Hamm tossed 12 innings in the Complex League and for Single-A Lakeland in 2023, allowing no runs and just one walk. That would prove a harbinger of things to come. Our friends at Tigers Minor League Report keyed on him as a name to watch in 2024. We were more cautious as good college starters often dominate Low-A before hitting a wall at High-A or in Double-A, but Hamm did not disappoint. He struck out over 30 percent of hitters faced and showed good control, finishing his first pro season as the Midwest League’s Pitcher of the Year.
Hamm isn’t a particularly hard thrower yet, sitting 93-94 mph and occasionally ramping up to 96 mph, with below average extension. However, his fastball quality stands out anyway. Hamm gets outstanding vertical movement from a high overhand slot that pairs well with his modest six-foot-one frame. He consistently whips high IVB, riding fastballs up in the zone and generates a lot of whiffs and pop-ups.
Hamm pairs the riding heater with a good overhand curveball that he typically spins in around 81 mph. He can start the curve on the same line as the fastball at the top of the zone, as it has enough depth to fall off the table. His other main weapon is a mid 80’s circle change that isn’t as a consistent. However, it does have good fade and depth, and Hamm’s delivery makes it a bit tricky to pick up.
While his command needs to improve, and he will occasionally leave one up too much, the changeup is reasonably effective against right-handers as well as left-handers. Hamm’s overhand slot gives him a deceptive release that helps it play up. if he can add a little velocity to his fastball as he builds toward the major leagues, that would help him separate the velocity between fastball and changeup.
Last offseason, the Tigers started working with Hamm on a slider, but they wanted him to learn to use his three main pitches in pro ball before giving the slider more attention. He mixed it in some in 2024, but that pitch should be a bigger point of emphasis this offseason and during the 2025 season.
Another big point in Hamm’s favor was his control. He has a fairly long arm path, dipping the ball well behind him before whipping it over the top and pulling his head off line a bit more than is typical in a modern starter’s delivery. That, coupled with a somewhat stiff-legged drive to the plate offer some minor concerns about his ability to refine his command. In 2024, he put much of that to rest by throwing a lot of quality strikes with the fastball in particular. The secondary pitches could use a little more tuning, particularly his ability to spot the changeup, but overall Hamm’s control was very impressive for his age and experience level.
Hamm only turned 22 in September, so despite being a little on the small side, expecting him to get a little stronger isn’t unreasonable. He was only 20 on draft day, and so far he’s done nothing but succeed at a rapid clip. The Tigers would probably like to see him get stronger and develop a softer landing with his lead leg and a little more extension to the plate. That would bode well for ongoing improvement in his command, as well as getting him down the mound a little more where his fastball would ride to the top of the zone even more effectively. Still, he’s doing pretty well as he is, and maybe it isn’t worth tinkering overmuch with him.
2025 outlook
Hamm should be set to start the season at Double-A Erie. Expect there to be something of an adjustment for him Last year, High-A hitters who tried to climb the ladder to handle the fastball tended to simply slap routine grounders around the infield. If they tried to lift the heater they popped out or lifted routine fly balls into the outfield. There will be Double-A talent more equipped to wait out of the high fastball and try to force him down into the zone. Hamm gave up just a few more homers than you like to see in the Midwest League, and because he’s dropping a lot of vertical stuff that starts belt high, the threat of the hanger is sometimes present.
If Hamm can mix in his secondary pitches more consistently this year, he shouldn’t have any trouble countering even the best Eastern League hitting talent this season. If he can add a better slider to that mix, hitters are really going to have too much to deal with at that level. But even if there isn’t much more velocity potential or a lethal slider brewing, Hamm has the stuff to get major league hitters out, and there’s a good chance that he’ll continue to improve.
Hamm could stand to take some lumps to learn how to pitch in traffic and turn a rough inning around. So far he’s been a steamroller, regularly pitching ahead in the count and smothering teams with strikeouts and routine fly balls that make it a grind to even advance runners. Double-A can be a difficult leap and there’s still plenty for him to work on.
If he’s healthy and can refine his stuff and command a little further, Jaden Hamm should reach Triple-A this summer. Don’t expect the Tigers to rush him to the major leagues this season, but another strong season of growth could have him on the doorstep by September.