Jair Jurrjens Stats & Scouting Report

IP	1.1
ERA	27
WHIP	3.75
BB/9	27
SO/9	0

Full name Jair Francoise Jurrjens
Born 01/29/1986 in
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 200 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Maria Colegant
Debut 08/15/2007

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Jurrjens became the first Curacao native to pitch in the majors last August when he held the Indians to one hit in seven innings. In need of a shortstop, the Tigers swapped him and Gorkys Hernandez for Edgar Renteria after the season. Jurrjens goes after hitters with a two-seam fastball with plenty of sink or a four-seamer than ranges from 92-95 mph with late life and armside run. He has good arm speed and sinking action on his changeup. His curveball can be inconsistent but has good downer action. Both his changeup and curve are plus pitches when they're on. He's athletic and throws strikes with a fluid delivery. He's fearless on the mound. Jurrjens' command isn't as fine as his control, and at times he leaves pitches up in the strike zone. Durability is his primary concern. He missed the end of 2006 with shoulder spasms, and was sidelined for two weeks in June (groin) and again in September (shoulder inflammation). He failed to record an out in the fourth inning of his final two starts with the Tigers, and his workload was enough of a concern that they scratched him from the Arizona Fall League for a second consecutive year. It's not easy to trade for a quality young starter these days, but Atlanta did that thanks to its depth at shortstop. Jurrjens will get every opportunity to crack the big league rotation in spring training and profiles as a No. 3 starter with a ceiling as a No. 2.
Jurrjens ended 2006 with a much higher profile than he had at the beginning of the year, after pitching in the World Baseball Classic and reaching Double-A at age 20. Jurrjens also was involved in an automobile accident, which caused him to go almost two weeks between starts in late July. The Tigers thought Jurrjens might make a No. 4 starter coming into 2006, but they've revised their hopes upward. He works in the low 90s with the ability to add and subtract from his fastball, which has good life and reaches 97 mph. He has terrific control, especially considering his age. His curveball and changeup improved throughout the season, and now grade out as at least average. Jurrjens has just one plus pitch and both his curve and change still need polish. His youth is occasionally evident on the mound. He ended the season on the disabled list with right shoulder spasms. The Tigers exercised caution and scrapped plans for him to participate in the Arizona Fall League. Jurrjens probably won't be ready for the majors until 2008, but if he performs well at Triple-A Toledo he could get a late-season callup. Though the Tigers don't expect his shoulder to be an issue, there's a chance they could start him back in Double-A.
Jurrjens signed in 2003 out of Curacao and took his first stab at full-season ball in 2005. He was West Michigan's best starter, ranking sixth in the Midwest League in ERA as the Whitecaps had the league's third-best record and best ERA (3.63). His success has the Tigers projecting him as a No. 4 starter if everything falls into place. Jurrjens works primarily off his fastball, which has modest movement but has seen a boost in velocity to the low 90s. He has shown the ability to pound the lower half of the strike zone with his fastball, which tops out at 94 mph. Some scouts can see him throwing much harder as he fills out, particularly if he moves to a relief role down the line, which is a possibility. His second pitch is a good changeup that he throws for strikes. His curveball remains slurvy and could stand a lot of work. His feel for pitching, however, will keep him a starter for now in high Class A.
Jurrjens has pleased the Tigers with his development since former scouting director Greg Smith signed him out of Curacao in May 2003. His best attribute is his ability to control three pitches as a teenager. Not only does he throw his fastball, breaking ball and changeup for strikes, but he also locates them well within the zone. Jurrjens moved from the bullpen to the rotation in 2004, and his fastball got stronger. It sat at 90-92 mph, up from 88-90 in his debut, and he projects to add more velocity as he fills out. His fastball is fairly straight, so it's his command that makes it effective. Jurrjens has so much feel and poise that he could move quickly. He may never have a dominant pitch, but he has enough savvy to project as a possible end-of-the-rotation starter in the major leagues. With a good spring, he could start this season in low Class A.

Minor League Top Prospects

After finishing second in the league with a 3.20 ERA, Jurrjens proved more ready to help the Tigers in the majors than 2006 first-round pick Andrew Miller. Jurrjens pitches off his two- and four-seam fastballs and his four-seamer ranges from 92-95 mph. Athletic with a fluid delivery, Jurrjens was at his best when he attacked hitters with two-seamers and his improved slider. His changeup at times is a plus pitch with sink and good deception, but his slider has surpassed it as his best secondary offering. Erie's smallish ballpark at times made him pay for pitching up in the strike zone, but he commanded the zone much better at the end of his EL stint, with 24 strikeouts and one walk in 23 innings over his last three starts. "He's pitching at 92-94, then he's got that hard sinker and breaking ball, and it's all for strikes, and good strikes too," Bowie manager Bien Figueroa said. "He's not afraid of anybody. I was glad when he left, to tell you the truth."
After a sensational first half in high Class A, Jurrjens moved up to the EL and continued to impress Tigers brass. He has thrown harder more consistently and shown more feel for pitching than Detroit anticipated when it signed him out of Curacao three years ago. Jurrjens' fastball ranges from 87-92 mph and touches 95, and he can spot it to both sides of the plate. His slider is below average, making his performance even more impressive considering he did it primarily off fastball command and a plus changeup. Jurrjens has a clean, simple delivery. Some scouts envision him moving to the bullpen, but if he develops a usable breaking ball, he could fill a role as a back-of-the-rotation starter in the big leagues.
Managers saw parallels between Jurrjens and Cueto, as both are hard-throwing righthanders with small frames. Most thought that Cueto's stuff was just a touch better, but Jurrjens also impressed with a 93-94 fastball with good life. He also has a hard, slurvy curveball and an average changeup. Jurrjens frame is a little more solid than Cueto, but there still are concerns that he may be more suited to being a reliever than soaking up 200 innings annually as a starter. He does have the savvy and makeup to handle starting if his arm holds up. He showed the ability to hit his spots with his fastball, pitching to all four quadrants of the strike zone.