Tigers Ace Has Firmly Established Himself as Best Pitcher in Baseball

As the Detroit Tigers get set to host the Chicago Cubs in one of the most anticipated regular season series in quite some time, they have to be feeling good about the state of the franchise.

It has been a fantastic start to the year for the Tigers, who are in first place in the American League Central and proving to be one of the best teams in the AL.

With the hot start, expectations are slowly starting to rise for Detroit. This is a team that had a strong winter in terms of helping support their young core of talent, and that has paid dividends.

In 2024, the team might have surprised people with their wild run into the playoffs, but they aren’t going to be sneaking up on anyone this year. Furthermore, with their success has come the emergence of a true superstar in the game.

Has Tigers Ace Become Best Pitcher in Baseball?

Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report recently wrote about Tigers ace Tarik Skubal solidifying himself as the best pitcher in baseball.

“Tarik Skubal, last year's AL Cy Young Award winner, seems to have seized the crown as the best pitcher in baseball. At the time of publication, he leads all starters in FIP, WHIP, BB/9, and strikeout-to-walk ratio," he wrote.

The southpaw started to show some signs that he was going to be a good pitcher for the team back in 2022, with him totaling a 7-8 record and a 3.52 ERA. However, even in an injury-shortened 2023 campaign, that’s when it became apparent that he could be a special pitcher.

In 15 starts, Skubal totaled a 7-3 record and 2.80 ERA, showing that his time was coming.

Last year, he was finally able to stay healthy and it all came together for him on the mound. Skubal won the AL Cy Young, the AL Triple Crown for pitchers, and had one of the best seasons for a pitcher in quite some time. Overall, he totaled a 18-4 record, 2.39 ERA, and 228 strikeouts.

What might be crazy to say for a pitcher coming off winning the Triple Crown is that Skubal has been better in 2025 arguably. With an improved ERA, WHIP, FIP, and strikeouts per nine innings, he could be on his way to repeating as the AL Cy Young.

On Friday against the Chicago Cubs, he did the below.