This One Characteristic Separates Detroit Tigers Star Pitcher From His Peers
The 2024 season was the official coming-out party for Detroit Tigers star pitcher Tarik Skubal.
In previous years, we got a glimpse of how good he could be. He would regularly mow down opponents, but his availability wasn’t where he or the team wanted it to be.
In 2022 and 2023 combined, the talented lefty made only 36 combined starts, throwing 198 innings. But, the production was there as he struck out 219 and had an ERA of 3.52 followed by 2.80.
This past year, everything came together for Skubal. He stayed healthy, starting 31 games and throwing 192 innings. It resulted in one of the most dominant campaigns in recent history.
He was the unanimous American League Cy Young Award winner while recording the pitching Triple Crown. His 18 wins, 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts were all tops in the AL. The wins, strikeouts and 6.3 WAR were the best in baseball.
There are a lot of excellent starting pitchers in the MLB, but Skubal has cemented his status as arguably the best.
What separates him from his peers? In the opinion of former teammate Matthew Boyd, it is the level of preparation and determination to be the best that he combines with natural talent.
“It’s pretty dangerous when you breed work ethic with talent,” Boyd said, via Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic. “That’s when some special stuff happens.”
To make the Major Leagues you need to have a work ethic. If you aren’t doing what is necessary to improve, other players are going to surpass you; natural talent only gets you so far.
Skubal takes things even further with his preparation, as he is as strong mentally as physically. His current teammate, Beau Brieske, likened him to Hall of Famer Greg Maddux for his attention to detail.
Brieskie saw similar traits in his current teammate to one of the best to ever do it.
“He didn’t surprise himself by being this good,” Brieske said. “To me, that’s mental. Because some guys limit themselves by not believing that they are capable. He never did, and he believed it from that start. He battled injuries, works hard, does his thing consistently every day, boom, boom, boom. And then everything comes together and everyone sees, ‘Wow, he’s as good as he is.’”
Getting into a routine is key. Skubal has found one that works for him, as second baseman Colt Keith noted it is the same every time. That attention to detail helps set him apart from others in the league.
“His routine is the same every single start,” the rookie second baseman said. “I noticed he drinks the same water at the same time. Every day after a start, he does the same thing with his bike and his recovery work.”
What Skubal accomplished in 2024 is just the beginning. He turned only 28 years old earlier in November, as he is just entering his prime. Several more dominant seasons should be on the horizon for arguably the best left-handed pitcher in the sport.
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.