MLB Network Makes Absolutely Wild Detroit Tigers Starting Rotation Comparison
The Detroit Tigers are off to a tremendous start, winning seven of their last nine games on the heels of a tough opening series in Los Angeles.
Turning the page to win three consecutive series ahead of their massive showdown this weekend against the Minnesota Twins, and it's safe to say the Tigers are firing on all cylinders.
While elevated performances from numerous Detroit sluggers including Spencer Torkelson, Kerry Carpenter and Riley Greene have powered the offense and put the team in a terrific position to win ball games, there's no secret as to what the straw that stirs the drink for this ball club.
It's the starting rotation.
The ceiling was already high once the Tigers brought back Jack Flaherty to join unanimous American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal and a now healthy Reese Olson, but the potential of the back end has elevated things to a new level.
Jackson Jobe, while not yet putting it all together, has shown flashes of absolute brilliance which are going to make him a Major League ace.
Perhaps the most pleasant surprise is the early performance from Casey Mize, who slotted in at the back of the staff following a huge spring where he entered on the roster bubble and has had two dominant starts to kick off the year.
During a segment discussing how much talent there is in the Motor City right now, Dan Plesac of MLB Network made a comparison about rotation which should make fans absolutely salivate
"They're building on something in Motown right now." 🐅@Plesac19 highlights the strong @tigers starting rotation after a series win this afternoon. #MLBTonight pic.twitter.com/zxWrBfi3pG
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) April 9, 2025
Plesac said the 2025 rotation reminds him of one of the best staffs baseball has seen in a very long time in the 2013 Detroit staff featuring Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Doug Fister, Anibal Sanchez, and Rick Porcello.
Comparing Skubal to Verlander as the Cy Young winner and the questioned ace of the staff, Plesac also compared Scherzer to Flaherty based on their propensity to show emotion on the mound while being capable of greatness.
Sanchez compared to Mize along with Olson compared to Fister rounded out to the interesting duality of a young Porcello to young Jobe.
Porcello was in the league for a couple of seasons by 2013, though he was around the same age that Jobe is now trying to figure out how to become a regular big leaguer behind a staff full of stars.
"I think it's eerily similar to 2013," Plesac said. "Cy Young winners at the top, you've got the angry righty in Flaherty and Scherzer, the tricky righty in Olson and Fister, guys with no hit stuff and erratic moments in [Mize and Sanchez], and the baby high-upside righties in Jobe and Porcello."
Comparing this staff to one which the core of had the Tigers experience their most sustained run of postseason success perhaps in franchise history is not something which can be said lightly, but Plesac may not be far off by any means.
If this comparison continues to prove accurate and Detroit can keep on creating offense at a high rate, this could be one of the most special seasons Tigers fans have seen perhaps since that 2013 rotation was carving up American League hitters with ease.
