Detroit Tigers Star Pitcher Helped MLB Expert Knock Bold Prediction out of Park
To go on an unprecedented run in the way the Detroit Tigers did over the second half of the 2024 season, you need a lot of things to go your way.
Everything clicked, as they caught fire and earned a wild card spot in the American League. Manager A.J. Hinch clicked all of the right buttons with his pitching staff, turning to openers, bulk inning eaters behind them and sometimes full-on bullpen games.
“Pitching Chaos” as he dubbed it, because of their lack of starting pitching options, was only possible because they had a bonafide star anchoring their rotation.
The ace of the staff was Tarik Skubal, who had shown stretches of dominance over the first few seasons of his career. But, everything clicked this past year, resulting in one of the best pitching performances in recent history.
It was exactly what David Schoenfield of ESPN predicted would happen before the season. The MLB expert’s bold guess was that Skubal would win the Cy Young Award and hold opponents to a .199 batting average.
He was virtually spot on, receiving an A+ grade for that one.
After an injury limited him to only 15 starts in 2023, he picked up right where he left off in 2024. He made 31 starts, going 18-4, while throwing 192 innings. Skubal recorded a 2.39 ERA with 228 strikeouts.
That gave him the AL pitching triple crown and most likely a unanimous Cy Young Award soon as well. Opponents hit a paltry .201 against him this season, as all of his predictions came to fruition.
What is there to look forward to in 2025? Schoenfield believes it could be more of the same.
“Really, the only issue was whether Skubal could remain durable for an entire season. He did just that, and he'll enter 2025 as the AL Cy Young favorite -- although no AL pitcher has repeated since Pedro Martínez in 1999 and 2000.”
After seeing how well this past season went, is anyone going to bet against Skubal taking home the award for a second straight year? He has cemented his status as one of the best starting pitchers in baseball as he gives his team a chance to win every time he steps on the mound.
As long as he stays healthy, he is going to be in the running for the Cy Young Award. The Tigers certainly have to feel good about not trading him ahead of the deadline and having him as the centerpiece of their pitching staff moving forward.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.