DETROIT -- Tarik Skubal's future is likely to get a lot of debate over the coming months. But there’s no debate as to what the left-handed ace meant to the Tigers in 2025.
For the second consecutive season, Skubal has won the prestigious Tiger of the Year Award, presented annually by the Detroit chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Skubal is the first pitcher to win it consecutively in 56 years. He’ll hope to add back-to-back honors next month when the American League Cy Young Award results are announced, but simply repeating as Tiger of the Year is a historic accomplishment in itself.
Skubal, a unanimous winner in 2024, received 20 of 23 first-place votes by Detroit BBWAA members this time. Dillon Dingler, Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter each received one first-place vote.
Not since Denny McLain, in his historic 31-win season in 1968 and again in his 24-win campaign in ‘69, had a pitcher won Tiger of the Year in back-to-back seasons. McLain won AL Cy Young honors in both seasons, a feat Skubal stands a good chance of matching as well. Jeimer Candelario was the last position player to repeat as Tiger of the Year in 2020 and '21.
Skubal’s 6.6 bWAR was more than double that of the next-highest Tiger. His catcher, Dingler, was second at 3.1. Though Skubal’s 13 wins actually placed him one behind good friend Casey Mize for the team lead, the Tigers went 21-10 in games Skubal started during the regular season, compared with 66-65 in the games that he didn’t (including 18-10 in Mize’s starts).
Skubal led AL pitchers in bWAR, ERA (2.21), FIP (2.45), WHIP (0.89) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.30), and he finished second to Boston’s Garrett Crochet in strikeouts (255-241). But just as important, Skubal led the Tigers on the field on days he pitched. There’s a different feeling facing the Tigers when Skubal is on the mound.
“Sitting in my chair, one of the easiest things to do and one of the most exciting things to do is hand the ball to the best pitcher in baseball,” manager A.J. Hinch said before Game 5 of their AL Division Series against the Mariners. “He obviously is somebody deeply trusted in our clubhouse to bring intensity, to bring high-end pitching and bring results.
“We win together, we lose together, but he leads us.”
That leadership continued into the postseason. Skubal’s 14 strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings of one-run ball in Cleveland helped Detroit grab momentum in their AL Wild Card Series. His two gems against Seattle, including 22 strikeouts over 13 combined innings, helped keep the Tigers close in Games 2 and 5 of their Division Series. The latter performance, with 13 strikeouts over six innings of one-run ball, had Detroit nine outs away from its first AL Championship Series berth since 2013.
Skubal’s final five starts of the year came against two teams, the Guardians and Mariners. Neither team could figure him out. Skubal held both clubs to six earned runs on 21 hits over 32 2/3 innings, while striking out 53 batters.
“He put it all out on the line all season,” Dingler said after the Tigers’ Game 5 loss. “That’s the kind of pitcher he is. ... He’s awesome. I’m sure I’ll always remember this season and what he accomplished. I’ll remember last year, but it was first-hand experience for me this year, catching him. It was awesome.”
The Detroit chapter of the BBWAA also announced slugging first baseman Spencer Torkelson as the winner of the Dan Ewald Good Guy Award, presented annually to the Tigers player who best exemplifies a cooperative spirit with the beat writers who cover the team.