Description
Jake Higginbotham is a pitcher in the Detroit Tigers organization. He was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 11th round (No. 322 overall pick) of the 2018 MLB Draft. This was the second time Higginbotham was drafted, the 1st time in 2015 by the New York Mets. He decided to attend Clemson and play college baseball for the Tigers instead.
During the summer before his senior year of high school, Higginbotham played for the East Cobb Yankees. This is where he started to get on MLB Scout’s radars. Going into that spring, East Cobb had a catcher on their team Joey Bart, who was the #2 overall pick that year, and he brought a lot of attention to all of their high school games. With all of the scouts there and the increased velocity on Higginbotham’s fastball, the talented pitcher started to get some attention from some scouts too.
The left-hander played high school baseball at Buford High School in Buford, GA where he was coached by Tony Wolfe. Higginbotham was named first-team All-American by Louisville Slugger and USA Today as a senior. His stellar senior year (11-1, 0.21 ERA), punctuated by a perfect 9-0 career postseason record, earned The Times’ 2015 Pitcher of the Year. The left-hander finished his Buford career with a 0.13 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 55 2/3 innings over his nine playoff starts. Higginbotham recorded 127 strikeouts in 65 1/3 innings pitched in 2015, allowing just 20 hits and two earned runs en route to Buford’s championship series win at Whitewater High. His high school team won one state championship and two region titles while he was there.
In 2016 at Clemson, he had a 3-0 record and 4.59 ERA in eight appearances (seven starts.) The talented left-hander was 3-0 with a 3.26 ERA in his seven starts. He held opponents to a .186 batting average with runners in scoring position and Clemson had a 7-0 record in his seven starts. In 2018 at Clemson, Higginbotham had a 6-1 record and 3.47 ERA in 16 starts. In 80.1 innings pitched, he allowed 70 hits (.236 opponents’ batting average) and 32 walks with 63 strikeouts. The left-hander tied for second in the ACC in starts and tied for seventh in wins. In his Clemson career, Higginbotham pitched 113.2 innings over 24 appearances (23 starts) and had a 9-1 record and a 3.80 ERA while allowing 109 hits (.255 opponents’ batting average) and 53 walks with 91 strikeouts.
In his 1st season of pro ball, Higginbotham appeared in 13 games with the Danville Braves, a minor league baseball team in Danville, Virginia. They are an Advanced Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League and have been a farm team of the Atlanta Braves since 1982. Higginbotham was 2-1 with a 2.65 ERA and a save for the Braves. In 2019, Higginbotham played for the Rome Braves appearing in 33 games and registering a 3.07 ERA and 4 wins and 4 saves. In 2021, the talented left-handler split time between the Augusta GreenJackets, Rome Braves and Mississippi Braves and was 1-0 in 9 games with an 0.00 ERA. Higginbotham didn’t give up an earned run in 11 innings and added a save.
Higginbotham’s 2022 season was his first full, healthy campaign since 2019. He allowed 59 hits over 51 1/3 innings for Double-A Mississippi but posted 48 strikeouts against 18 walks with a 4.73 ERA. On December 7th, 2022 the Atlanta Braves traded third base/corner outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy and lefthanded pitcher Jake Higginbotham to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for righthanded pitcher Joe Jiménez and cash considerations.
The featured Rome Braves New Era 59FIFTY Hat was game worn by Jake Higginbotham in 2021 as a member of the Braves. The Rome Braves are a Minor League Baseball team based in Rome, Georgia. The Braves compete as the High-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Higginbotham appeared in 6 games and pitched 7 innings and gave up one hit and no earned runs. He also struck out 11! The talented left-hander has signed the Hat in black. The Hat measures 7 1/4. Sweet Hat obtained directly from the Rising Prospect!
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