Jacob Turner was as good as advertised in his major league debut Saturday. He had poise. He worked his breaking ball well. Most of all, he had command of the baseball. He wasn't wild like a lot of young pitchers when they make their major league debut. It was impressive the way he worked his way out of jams.
It's not a stretch Baseball America continually ranks him very high on its list of the top prospects in all of baseball. I see him as having a higher upside than Rick Porcello or Max Scherzer, who have combined to win 22 games so far this season and been underrated, in my opinion, by many Tiger fans.
But Turner is limited by what he can do in the major leagues at this point. It was embarrassing to see Angel base runners take off like that. His changeup needs a lot of work. There is not as much difference in its velocity from his other offerings to be an effective pitch in the major leagues.
While there is a lot of life on his fastball, Turner didn't display a real blazer. He was mostly in the low 90s.
But the Tigers were wise to hang onto Turner. If he stays healthy, it's not difficult to imagine him as a top-of-the-rotation starter in the near future.
And to perhaps get another spot start or two before the season is over.

Video by Matthew Mowery