Brandt Jobe's son brings the heat on the diamond

When PGA TOUR Champions veteran Brandt Jobe last stepped into the batter’s box against his son, he made a business decision.

“Changeups only,” Jobe told his only son, Jackson, 18, a pitcher/shortstop who just finished his career at Heritage Hall High School in Oklahoma City.

Yeah, wise choice, dad. Because the son is one of the top prospects in next month’s Major League Baseball draft. He regularly throws his fastball in the mid-90s and has hit 99 mph, and he’s projected to be taken among the first 10 picks.

“I did step in the box a month or two ago when he was working hard on the changeup,” Jobe said. “It’s 86 mph and dives at my feet. I wanted to see what it looked like. I haven’t stepped in against 94, 95, 96 mph. But I wanted to see what batters are seeing with the new pitch.

“He probably wanted to throw a fastball. I told him no fastballs. If it hits me and breaks something … (laughing).”

Did Jackson have thoughts of civil disobedience and bringing the ol’ No. 1?

“100%,” he said via email. “You’re always tempted to throw a heater when someone is standing in the box, especially when it is your dad.”

Brandt said he watched his son blossom between his junior and senior seasons, in part because the youth gave up quarterbacking the football team to concentrate on baseball and in part because of the coronavirus pandemic. With his junior baseball season shut down, Jackson pushed himself to new levels with his fitness and his throwing.

“It’s not really anything I told him to do,” Jobe said. “He just threw himself into it and worked out hard every day, all day. I’d see him in the morning and then not again until dinner time. I’m proud of all the work he did.”

Jackson emerged from the quarantine bigger and stronger. His mechanics were better. And his fastball and slider on the summer circuit suddenly had the attention of nearly every MLB scout.

“His slider has a spin rate that not even most major-leaguers can reach,” Jobe said. “And he throws it in the 90s, too.”

Jobe went to as many of his son’s games this past high school season as he could. And Jackson treated him to an unbelievable year. He went 9-0 on the mound and led his team to the state title. He struck out 122 batters and walked only five. That’s not a misprint.

“It was a lot of fun to watch his hard work pay off like that,” Jobe said.

Jobe was a big baseball fan growing up but eventually gravitated toward golf. He never won on the PGA TOUR but has two victories on PGA TOUR Champions to his credit.

Jobe has had a solid 2020-21 wraparound season thus far, with 12 top 25s in 22 events. He has posted sixth-place finishes in his past two events to climb to 26th in the Charles Schwab Cup standings. And all the while he has been negotiating the uncharted waters of having a son who could be a multimillionaire in a month.

“It’s an interesting process, one in which we really didn’t know anything,” Jobe said. “He has signed with Ole Miss, so that’s an option, and a really good one. As far as the draft goes, we’ll just have to sit back and see what happens and then help him make the best decision we can.”

Not everyone has a professional golfer for a father to help.

“He’s taught me a lot about what it takes to be a professional athlete,” Jackson Jobe said. “He’s taught me that it's not all about what you do on the field, it's what you do off the field that is just as important.”

Jackson has only recently taken up golf.

“Growing up I didn't really understand the game that well and my dad made it look so easy, but now I see how humbling that sport can be, similar to baseball,” the young Jobe said.

“He said, ‘Man, Dad, this is hard,’” Brandt Jobe said. “He’s learning his competitive nature. It takes thinking. It’s not just physical but mental. We’re definitely having some fun in our house.”

The fun is just beginning.