Here is how good of a pitching year 2025 was. We still have two very obvious Cy Young winners, while also having insanely worthy runners-up that could have won in another universe and a Zack Wheeler season that could have qualified had the injury not happened. It's not like a year where there was a clear standout performance and the writers went with Rick Porcello or some shit. No, Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal were the two best pitchers in baseball this year, and they deserve these.
Paul Skenes getting a Cy Young in his first full season in the bigs and immediately after winning Rookie of the Year while still finishing 3rd in the Cy Young voting should tell you everything you need to know about his chops. We are still in the era where every Skenes start is must-see TV, and that's probably gonna be the case for a while. This year, Skenes' age-23 season, he posted a 7.7 WAR, a 1.97 ERA and 216 Ks, while leading the league in WHIP with 0.948. No wonder it was unanimous. Cristopher Sanchez had an amazing year, but it wasn't this good. At this point, nobody's topping Paul Skenes, because from LSU onward, Skenes has been doing shit that pitchers just cannot normally do. Now, granted, Bob Nutting, idiot that he is, doesn't seem to have any plans to sign him long-term. So this may all be just a preview for the Yankees or Dodgers to trade or sign somewhere down the road. But at the very least, he's giving Pirates fans a reason to care for the time being. It may not culminate in a full-team effort for 1st, but they've still got a one-of-a-kind pitcher, and they're savoring every moment.
Tarik Skubal's in a similar boat, where the Tigers' GM is also floating the possibility of dealing him, foolishly. If anyone's worth the money, it's Skubal. Two straight years he's been the best pitcher in the AL, and this year he even outdid a phenomenal Garrett Crochet season by plugging in even more, with a 2.21 ERA [lower than last year], 241 strikeouts [more than last year] and a 0.891 WHIP [lower than last year]. Skubal, after some injury plagued years, has found that sweet spot, and has become the ace this Tigers team desperately needs. I don't see them going as far without Skubal, because both postseasons to date have greatly relied upon Sku getting up there every 3 days and being unhittable. Dude made 3 starts this postseason, had a 1.74 ERA 36 strikeouts. THIRTY SIX STRIKEOUTS IN THREE GAMES. Just efficient as hell, and I'm happy to see it.
If this was a just league, with just CEOs [heh, what an oxymoron], both these guys would be getting the money that Samuel Basallo, Jackson Chourio, Michael Harris and Lawrence Butler have gotten without proving themselves anywhere near as much. But y'know...just can't find that money, right?
The MVPs are a little hazier. Well, one of 'em is. How weird is it that I'm honestly rooting for the outcome where the Yankee doesn't win?
Is love to have a copy of that Skubal card. Good Job! 👍
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