Jason Foley

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #21 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: The Tigers signed Foley, who was college teammates at Sacred Heart with Tigers infielder Zack Short, as a nondrafted free agent. Scouts were impressed by a velocity spike that led to regular triple-digit readings. Foley broke out with Class-A West Michigan in 2017, but Tommy John surgery cost him his 2018 season. The pandemic wiped out 2020, but Foley made his big league debut in June 2021.
  
  Scouting Report: Foley’s signature is unquestionably his plus fastball, which has regained its upper-90s velocity since surgery. Despite premium velocity, hitters timed Foley’s four-seam fastball fairly well in the minors, and he worked with the Tigers to add a two-seamer to his repertoire. The pitch features heavy arm-side run and sink, but he’s still learning to command the pitch’s heavy movement. The two fastball variations played off of each other, allowing his four-seam to play up as a swing-and-miss pitch when elevated. He has gained more confidence in his tight mid-80s slider, which missed bats at a high rate in 2021. He works primarily with a sinker-slider mix, looking to drive weak ground ball contact at a high rate. He’ll mix in a split-changeup that misses bats even as he’s gaining feel for the pitch.
  
  The Future: For Foley, the biggest question will be his health. If he’s able to maintain longevity, the Tigers should have a dependable relief option for years to come.
• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #29 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Struggles at Sacred Heart scuttled Foley’s draft chances, but area scout Jim Bretz kept on him during the summer and signed him as an nondrafted free agent. He ranked as one of the organization’s hardest throwers and made it to high Class A Lakeland in 2017 before requiring Tommy John surgery that kept him out all of 2018.
  
  Scouting Report: The profile is highlighted by a 70-grade fastball that can touch triple digits and has good movement. Foley couples the pitch with a future-average slider. It’s a harder slider, registering in the mid to upper-80s. His changeup is also high velocity, showing in the high 80s but it’s not as reliable as his other offerings at the moment. His control is solid for now, with a future 55-grade in sight in the future.
  
  The Future: Once Foley rehabs from surgery, he should return to high Class A to continue his progression. His big fastball and solid slider make him a candidate for a late-inning bullpen role.
• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #23 prospect in 2018
  After impressing in the summer league Northeast Collegiate Baseball League in 2015, Foley struggled early and late in his junior season at Sacred Heart, which pretty much ruined his draft chances. But Tigers area scout Jim Bretz kept an eye on him in his return to the NECBL, where he showed better stuff in a relief role. Since he went undrafted as an eligible junior, he was free to sign as an undrafted free agent without having to wait to be drafted again. Foley's stuff was even better in his first full season with the Tigers, as he started sitting 97-98 and touching 100-101 mph with a hard, above-average slider and a changeup that played as average (in part because hitters had to gear up for the fastball). Unfortunately for Foley, he blew out his elbow in early July. He'll miss more than half of 2018 as he rehabs from Tommy John surgery. There have been studies that show that pitchers velocity sometimes jumps right before a significant elbow injury, so there's no surety that Foley will be tickling triple-digits again when he returns, but even if it diminished a little, he still would be one of the best relief prospects in the Tigers' organization.

• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: The Tigers signed Foley, who was college teammates at Sacred Heart with Tigers infielder Zack Short, as a nondrafted free agent. Scouts were impressed by a velocity spike that led to regular triple-digit readings. Foley broke out with Class-A West Michigan in 2017, but Tommy John surgery cost him his 2018 season. The pandemic wiped out 2020, but Foley made his big league debut in June 2021.
  
  Scouting Report: Foley’s signature is unquestionably his plus fastball, which has regained its upper-90s velocity since surgery. Despite premium velocity, hitters timed Foley’s four-seam fastball fairly well in the minors, and he worked with the Tigers to add a two-seamer to his repertoire. The pitch features heavy arm-side run and sink, but he’s still learning to command the pitch’s heavy movement. The two fastball variations played off of each other, allowing his four-seam to play up as a swing-and-miss pitch when elevated. He has gained more confidence in his tight mid-80s slider, which missed bats at a high rate in 2021. He works primarily with a sinker-slider mix, looking to drive weak ground ball contact at a high rate. He’ll mix in a split-changeup that misses bats even as he’s gaining feel for the pitch.
  
  The Future: For Foley, the biggest question will be his health. If he’s able to maintain longevity, the Tigers should have a dependable relief option for years to come.