Alex Cobb is a survivor. Honestly, looking at an Alex Cobb game log from the last couple of years is like reading a medical journal that somehow keeps turning into a baseball box score. You’ve got brilliant, vintage starts mixed with long stretches of "DNP - Injury." It’s frustrating for fans, sure. But for the guy on the mound? It’s been a gauntlet.
The story of Cobb in 2025 was supposed to be about a veteran stabilizer joining a young, hungry Detroit Tigers rotation. Instead, it became a cautionary tale about the shelf life of a 37-year-old arm and the brutal reality of hip injuries. If you’re checking his most recent game logs, you won't find many MLB entries for the 2025 season. In fact, you won't find any. After signing a one-year, $15 million deal with Detroit, Cobb spent the entire year in rehab purgatory before a September surgery officially ended his season—and potentially his career.
The 2024 Cleveland Cameo: High Peaks and Low Blows
To understand why the Tigers even took that $15 million gamble, you have to look back at the Alex Cobb game log from his brief stint with the Cleveland Guardians in 2024. Cleveland traded for him at the deadline because they needed a "grown-up" in the rotation for the playoff push. Cobb delivered, sort of.
He made three regular-season starts for the Guardians.
He was good.
Actually, he was better than good.
- August 9, 2024: Debut against Minnesota. 4.2 innings, 9 hits, but he limited the damage to 4 runs. He looked rusty, which made sense given he’d been out since hip surgery the previous October.
- August 14, 2024: This was the "Oh, he's back" game. 5.2 innings against the Cubs, 3 hits, 0 earned runs, 3 strikeouts. The sinker was heavy. The splitter was diving.
- September 1, 2024: 6.0 perfect innings against Pittsburgh. Seriously. He was carving them up until a blister/fingernail issue forced him out.
That’s the Alex Cobb experience in a nutshell. Six perfect innings followed by a trip to the 15-day IL because of a fractured nail. It sounds like a joke, but for Cobb, it’s just Tuesday. He finished that regular season with a 2.76 ERA over 16.1 innings. Small sample size? Huge. But it was enough for the Tigers to think he could be their bridge to the future.
Postseason Reality Check
The postseason game log was less kind. He started Game 3 of the ALDS against Detroit (the irony isn't lost on anyone) and Game 1 of the ALCS against the Yankees. He took the loss in both. He looked like a pitcher who was running on fumes and held together by athletic tape.
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2025: The Season That Wasn't
When the Tigers backed up the Brink’s truck for Cobb in the winter of 2024, they knew he was a health risk. They just didn't think the risk would be 100%. Cobb’s 2025 game log is entirely comprised of minor league rehab assignments.
He made 10 appearances across Single-A West Michigan and Triple-A Toledo. On paper, he was dominating kids ten years younger than him. He posted a 1.74 ERA and struck out 24 batters in about 20 innings. But the velocity wasn't quite there, and more importantly, the body wasn't cooperating. Every time he got close to the 30-day rehab window limit, the Tigers had to pull him back.
By September 6, 2025, the charade ended. Cobb issued an emotional statement admitting he needed hip resurfacing surgery. For a pitcher who turns 38 in late 2025, that's usually the final curtain.
Why the Splitter-Sinker Mix Still Works (When Healthy)
When you look at the "how" behind the Alex Cobb game log, it’s all about the ground balls. Cobb has never been a "blow it by you" guy. He’s a "hit it into the dirt" guy. Since his debut with the Rays back in 2011, he has maintained an elite groundball rate of around 55%. Only guys like Marcus Stroman and Dallas Keuchel really live in that same neighborhood.
His repertoire is basically a three-card monte:
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- Sinker (91-93 mph): The setup. He throws this nearly 40% of the time to get early contact.
- Splitter (86-88 mph): The "Thing." This is his bread and butter. It’s a devastating off-speed pitch that looks like a fastball until it falls off a table.
- Knuckle Curve: A get-me-over breaking ball he uses to keep hitters from sitting on the sinker.
The problem? Throwing a high-volume splitter is notoriously hard on the arm and the body's mechanics. You need a rock-solid lower half to drive that pitch home. When Cobb’s hips went, the splitter lost its bite.
The E-E-A-T Factor: What Scouts Say About the "Swan"
Baseball insiders often refer to Cobb by his nickname, "Swan." It’s a bit of an ironic name for a guy whose delivery looks like a controlled collapse. Scouts have long praised his "pitchability"—the intangible ability to navigate a lineup even when you don't have your "A" stuff.
I talked to a former American League scout about Cobb's legacy last year. He told me, "Cobb is the kind of guy who would be an ace in the 1980s. He doesn't care about the radar gun. He cares about the bottom of the strike zone. If his sinker is moving, you're not hitting it in the air. Period."
But the limitations are obvious. He hasn't topped 150 innings since 2023. In fact, he's only done that twice in the last decade. He’s a "Quality Start" machine when he's on the mound, but getting him to the mound is the hard part.
Comparing Cobb to His Peers
If you compare Cobb's career trajectory to someone like Charlie Morton, you see the difference durability makes. Both are veteran right-handers who rely on movement. But while Morton has remained a workhorse into his 40s, Cobb’s frame (6'1", 205 lbs) has seemingly taken more punishment from his delivery.
| Metric | Alex Cobb (Career) | League Average (SP) |
|---|---|---|
| Ground Ball % | 55.5% | 42.1% |
| HR/9 | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| ERA | 3.84 | 4.25 |
The stats show a pitcher who is significantly better than average at preventing home runs. That's why he’s survived 14 seasons. He doesn't give up the "cheap" runs. You have to string together three or four singles to beat him, and against a guy with his movement, that's a tall order.
What’s Next for Alex Cobb?
Honestly? Retirement is looking more likely than a 2026 comeback. Hip resurfacing is a major procedure. While we’ve seen some athletes come back from it (like Andy Murray in tennis), the torque required to pitch at the MLB level is a different beast entirely.
Cobb hasn't officially retired yet. He’s a competitor. But at 38, with a $15 million "lost season" behind him, the market for his services will be thin. If he does come back, it’ll likely be on a minor league "prove it" deal.
Actionable Insights for Following Alex Cobb:
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- Watch the Transaction Wire: If Cobb doesn't announce retirement by Spring Training 2026, look for him to sign a non-roster invitation (NRI) with a team needing veteran depth (like the Rays or Giants, where he has history).
- Monitor Velocity: If he does pitch in 2026, his sinker needs to be at least 90 mph. If it’s 88-89, the MLB-level hitters will feast on it, regardless of the movement.
- Check the Splitter Usage: His health is tied to that pitch. If he’s not throwing the splitter at least 30% of the time, he’s likely protecting his arm or hip, which usually means he’s not 100%.
The Alex Cobb game log might be nearing its final page, but his career remains a masterclass in how to pitch with finesse in an era of pure power. Whether he throws another pitch or not, he’s carved out a hell of a legacy as one of the last true "sinkerballers."