How Does Detroit Tigers Ace Skubal Just Keep Getting Better After Cy Young Campaign?

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal had all the skills to become one of the best starting pitchers in baseball.

The only thing holding him back earlier in his career was durability.

He performed at a high level in 2022 and 2023, but made only 46 starts combined in those two seasons.

If he were ever able to kick the injury bug, Skubal would announce his presence as a star. That is exactly what happened in 2024, with him staying healthy and dominating each time he took the mound.

It culminated in him winning the American League Cy Young Award unanimously, also completing the pitching Triple Crown, leading the AL with 18 wins, a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts.

The wins, strikeouts and 6.4 bWAR were all the best in the MLB. The ERA, .818 winning percentage, 170 ERA+ and 2.49 FIP were all tops in the AL.

Coming into the 2025 campaign, everyone was curious to see what Skubal would do for an encore as the team's MVP.

Tarik Skubal Has Somehow Improved His Performance This Season

Remaining healthy again, not only has he put himself in a position to win the AL Cy Young Award for a second consecutive year, but he has also improved his performance on the mound compared to 2024.

“Somehow Skubal got better,” Eno Sarris of The Athletic (subscription required) wrote in a recent piece ranking Skubal as the No. 1 starting pitcher for the rest of 2025 in fantasy baseball.

“He won the Cy Young Award and then he added velocity, made his breaking balls better and improved his already league-leading command. His strikeout rate is godly, his walk rate is minuscule and he's breaking Tigers velocity records with his final pitches on complete game shutouts,” Sarris added.

Through his first 12 starts of the year, the Detroit star has a 5-2 record with a 2.26 ERA. He has struck out 99 batters in 75.2 innings, issuing only seven walks.

He leads the MLB with a 1.88 FIP, 0.793 WHIP, 0.8 BB/9 ratio and 14.14 SO/BB ratio. His 11.8 K/9 is the best in the AL and behind only MacKenzie Gore of the Washington Nationals in the sport.

On pace to make some incredible MLB history, Skubal is only getting better at 28 years old. It is going to cost the Tigers a lot of money to lock him down long-term, but it will be worth every penny with him cementing his status as the best starting pitcher in baseball.