Detroit Tigers Star Providing Inspiration for Pittsburgh Pirates Phenom Paul Skenes
Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal cemented his status as one of the best starting pitchers in baseball in 2024.
After a very strong 2023 campaign, with the only blemish being 15 starts made, he was able to stay healthy this past year and dominant every time he took the mound.
An All-Star for the first time, Skubal made 31 starts and performed at such a high level that he won the American League Cy Young Award in a rout. It was easy to see why, as he won the Triple Crown, leading the league in wins with 18, ERA with a 2.39 and strikeouts with 228.
The victories and punchouts were both the best in baseball, as only Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves, the National League Cy Young Award winner, had a lower ERA.
The Tigers star also led baseball with a 6.3 WAR. His 170 ERA+ and 2.49 FIP were also the best marks in the AL, as he finished seventh in the MVP voting as well.
In addition to the improved health, what helped set Skubal apart from his peers?
It was his ability to consistently throw strikes, as more often than not, he put himself in advantageous positions on the mound.
When a pitcher can get ahead of a batter, they are in the driver’s seat, taking control of the at-bat and dictating how things will go.
It is something that Skubal did at an elite level, as he threw a first-pitch strike on 68.5% of batters, which was the fifth best mark in baseball.
Getting ahead is only one part of the battle. Being able to stay in control is another and Detroit’s star excelled at that as well. His 69.3 overall strike percentage was also fifth, as he consistently pounded the zone with pinpoint accuracy and control.
That ability to control the strikezone is something that Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Paul Skenes is looking to do more of in 2024 and he is using Skubal’s success as a point of reference and inspiration to adjust his own game.
“The analysts, I don’t know, sometimes they get in the way. But a lot of times they have really good stuff,” Skenes said, via Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. “(The Pirates’ analysts) came to me last year and said, ‘Hey, you should throw your sinker more to lefties with two strikes.’ I was like, ‘Ok, let’s try it.’ And then it worked. Usually, if they’re coming to you with something, they’re probably right. You probably should listen to them usually.”
The NL starting pitcher in the 2024 MLB All-Star Game, Skenes took the baseball world by storm.
The No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB June Amateur Draft has world class stuff, which he showed on a regular basis. But, if there was one hole in his game, it was throwing strikes consistently.
His percentage of first-pitch strikes was only 62.1, while his overall strike percentage was 66.1 percent, which ranked 71st amongst pitchers with at least 1,000 pitches thrown.
If he can hone in and learn something from Skubal, his game can reach another level. That is a scary thought for opponents as Skenes had a 5.9 WAR despite making only 23 starts, with a 1.96 ERA across 133 innings to go along with 170 strikeouts.
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.