Detroit Tigers Ace Predicted to Win Multiple Awards at Season's End
The Detroit Tigers are fighting in these final few weeks of the season to play baseball in October. It will be the first time since the 2014 season if they accomplish this. The team has a solid young core that could be a top contender in the AL Central for years to come.
One of the top players making a big difference on this youthful squad is pitching ace Tarik Skubal. The 27-year-old has made a case to take home multiple awards once the season is complete.
Skubal is predicted to join four other starting pitchers across Major League Baseball on the 2024 All-MLB Team, according to MLB.com. He is expected to join only Seth Lugo of the Kansas City Royals as the only representative for the American League.
On top of that, the former Seattle University pitcher is a clear front-runner for the AL Cy Young Award at season's end. The left-hander can solidify his chances in his final few starts at winning the top pitching award in baseball and secure the triple crown across the American League. He currently leads the AL in strikeouts (214) and ERA (2.50). He is also tied for the league lead with 16 wins with Lugo and Jose Berrios of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Skubal has led the Tigers back into contention even with the organization being 'sellers' at the MLB Trade Deadline. The team moved on from free agent acquisition Jack Flaherty, who is set to make a significant impact as one of the top starters on the Los Angeles Dodgers for the upcoming playoffs. That hasn't stopped Skubal and the Tigers from fighting for a spot in the upcoming playoffs, as they are close to overcoming near-impossible odds.
Heading into Tuesday's games, the Tigers sit only 1.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins for the final wildcard spot in the American League. According to Fangraphs, Detroit now has an 18% chance of reaching the postseason, a number that was less than 1% on August 1st.
Skubal is set to pitch on Wednesday evening in a pivotal game against the Royals, a team in the Tigers division also looking to solidify their playoff hopes for time since winning the World Series in 2015. An excellent outing for Skubal will not only improve the team's playoff chances but will also help eliminate one of the nagging questions the Tigers ace has dealt with since making his MLB Debut in 2020. He has struggled on the mound at Kauffman Stadium.
Over his last three starts in Kansas City, Skubal has allowed 15 earned runs across 15 innings, all ending in a loss for Detroit. This includes the only start of the season the lefty has made at Kauffman Stadium this season, where he allowed four runs on six hits across five innings of work.
"I can't make the game bigger than it needs to be," said Skubal "Results aside, I gotta be good at controlling what I can control, and that's probably the battle in itself, just because I know it too. That's where my focus is. Executing pitches, that's when I'm at my best."
The multiple awards that are expected to go in Skubal's trophy case this offseason won't help him immediately on the market. He is currently in his second year of Arbitration and is not set to reach free agency until 2027.
CHRISTIAN RAUH