Testimonial Tuesday: Jacob Kirby

Testimonial Tuesday: Jacob Kirby

Baseball players who are looking to be recruited need to stand out. They need to have qualities that separate them from the pack. Jacob Kirby is a 2023 uncommitted RHP at Reagan High School, in Pfafftown, NC. He stands in at 6’3” and 155 pounds. The fastballs from the three-quarters arm slot from which he delivers his pitches are generally in the low 80’s. He is the epitome of projectable. 

Having joined the Dirtbags in the summer of 2019, he has already been able to make an impact on the top brass in the organization. Jacob was a member of the uber talented Chin Music team in 2019 under the direction of Dirtbags Middle School Director, Logan Koch.

Kirby also caught the attention of Trey Daly, the GM for Dirtbags Baseball. The tangibles displayed by Kirby puts him in a category of players often sought after by those searching for elite performers.  

Daly captured that view by saying, “When you look at Jacob Kirby you see a very projectable body that has a very high ceiling is very appealing to the eye for college coaches.” 

The clincher, perhaps for Kirby, may be the intangibles the righty has to offer. This becomes immediately obvious in how he talks about himself, and how he talks about the game.  

When asked about what it means to be a Dirtbag, Kirby responded, “It’s a high quality player and person.”

Asked to elaborate on that, he confidently stated, “Talent can only take a player so far. How you are off the field is part of your process.”

Diving deeper into his personality with questions to understand what drove him to these stances, Jacob perhaps encapsulated his genuineness by saying, “I’m just good at being myself and not trying to be something I’m not.”

Those are his words. And as a reminder, he has yet to play an inning of high school baseball.  Jacob Kirby is just a freshman. Let that sink in … 

With such a level-head on his shoulders, the projectability becomes even more obvious as those tangibles mentioned earlier are looked at even more closely. Kirby is quite aware of the advantages he is afforded with his height and he attempts to work that to his benefit.

Definitely a pitcher with a sense of pace, Kirby likes to work quickly and stays pretty even keeled emotionally. Never afraid to challenge hitters, Jacob quipped about opposing batters, “They have to prove solid contact.” 

The hurler also brings some uniqueness to the table when it comes to his pitches. Apart from his fastball and changeup, Kirby employs a knuckle curve as his breaking ball. When asked about that pitch, he said the depth and width of the break are its positive attributes. Additionally, the grip works for him, giving him the control to throw it for a strike or as a swing-miss offering in the dirt.

On all accounts, Daly agrees. And the GM sees where all of this is going as he evaluated, “On the mound he throws three pitches for strikes and shows loose, easy arm action that will continue to get better as he matures.”

With the Spring right around the corner, Jacob will soon be able to show improvements he has been working towards. And at a program like Reagan’s, who is loaded with top level talent, Kirby is more than cognizant his role is dependent on how he will be needed.  He commented he’s just happy to be a part of a program with such prestige. (Translation: he’ll be ready when he’s needed.)

That readiness according to Kirby is somewhat owed to his experiences with the Dirtbags in the past year. Being able to play with the best and against the best became a prime motivator to push himself into the work necessary to gain strength and develop his craft. The stage is already set for that to continue in the summer of 2020.  

Kirby is hoping for big things to happen for himself and his Dirtbag teammates in 2020. While the most prestigious programs in the region and country shouldn’t sound unreasonable for Jacob, he of course mentioned the school had to provide an academic match for him, as well. Nonetheless, he is excited about the recruiting likely to ramp up in the oncoming year.  

All of these opportunities soon to be presented to Kirby, whether with his school team or with the Bags, are sure to be met with an attitude of confident humility. In the language of intangibles, that translates to leadership.