MLB Analyst Says Tigers Ace Tarik Skubal Is Midseason AL Cy Young Winner

Before the 2025 season began, it was difficult to envision a scenario where Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal would put up better results than he did in 2024.

As a 28-year-old pitcher, it was possible for him to continue developing from a true talent perspective. But for him to produce better numbers than the 18-4, 2.39 ERA campaign he put up in a walk to the American League Cy Young Award?

Not likely.

And yet, that's exactly what he's done.

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Through 18 starts, Skubal owned a 2.02 ERA and was striking out 11.5 hitters per nine innings while producing a WHIP of 0.81.

All of those are sizable improvements on his marks from 2024, and he has more than made his case as the best pitcher in all of MLB.

But still, other pitchers in the AL have turned in phenomenal performances this season, especially Detroit native Hunter Brown of the Houston Astros, whose numbers rival Skubal's in most areas.

But has Brown, or anyone else for that matter, done enough to be considered a favorite for this year's AL Cy Young honors over Skubal?

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Not according to MLB analyst Jayson Stark, who published his midseason award winners on Friday in The Athletic (subscription required).

"It’s time to recognize that when we watch Tarik Skubal throw a baseball, he’s working at a different level from almost everyone else," Stark wrote. "I spent a lot of time digging in on the spectacular seasons of Hunter Brown, Jacob deGrom, Max Fried, Joe Ryan, Garrett Crochet and every other AL pitcher I could make a Cy Young Award case for. They’re all having tremendous seasons, and their teams would be in way worse shape without them. But …"

Unfortunately for Stark, his pieces was published before Skubal took the mound on Friday and got lit up by the Seattle Mariners in an outing where he allowed four earned runs on four hits in five innings pitched, striking out five and walking two.

Still, the high praise that Stark gave Skubal is well deserved.

Even after that outing, his ERA sits at 2.23 and his advanced metrics continue to look ridiculous.

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According to Baseball Savant, he occupies the 99th percentile in walk avoidance and the 95th percentile in strikeout rate.

He sits in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity allowed and the 95th percentile in chase rate.

Hitters can't do much against him. They can't lay off his put away pitches. They can't square up his mistakes and they certainly can't hit the ones he throws well.

Barring a surprising collapse, he's on track to earn his second straight AL Cy Young Award.

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