It's got to be a new feeling for Tigers fans to look at their WAR leaders and see...the team's top prospects of the last five years, the major free agent signing, and a couple guys they got for absolutely nothing. That happens all the time with every other team, but the Tigers fans went through 10 years of abject misery waiting to compete again, and now they're in first with essentially everyone they've needed to perform running the team. Plus, their top pitcher does insane things like 13-K shutouts whenever he wants.
2024 proved that Tarik Skubal was capable of greatness, and 2025 is proving that is *is* great. It's easy for somebody to pitch as well as Sky did for one season and never really get there again, and Sku has no real desire to be that guy. So his 2025 is looking a lot like his 2024 so far, with a 5-2 record, a 2.49 ERA and a league-leading 92 Ks after only 11 starts. That 13-K start definitely put him over the edge, and back onto the radars of everyone watching and hoping for predictability. The kind of dominance that got Skubal the award last year has persisted, and he's still one of the best pitchers in the game. People have even started making Verlander comparisons, which is kinda odd considering that Verlander is currently burned out on the bench in San Francisco. And while I don't think Skubal is JV good yet, and considering that Sku got to this point by 28 and JV was there like 5 years earlier, he's the exact kind of guy that the Tigers need.
Pretty much every other starter on this roster fulfills a need without being the full alpha. Jack Flaherty is the K-heavy veteran, Reese Olson is the unassuming fireballer, Casey Mize is the old school deep win guy, and Jackson Jobe is the up-and-comer just taking his reps. All of them fall behind Skubal, and it's interesting because at different points people figured they'd fall behind Flaherty or Mize. But they've been unable to remain 'that guy' the way Skubal has, and they lack that sort of consistency. Meanwhile, Skubal I think just has it figured out and could be this good for a while.
The Tigers are still firmly in first, and after this Cleveland series they're a bit further out than they were. Baez is still on a tear, Greene and Carpenter have had steady power numbers, Torres has been a consistent performer, Torkelson has 13 homers and 40 RBIs, Dillon Dingler might finally be the Tigers catcher that stays above 'passable', and McKinstry has been excellent at multiple positions. There is welcome depth in this team, and the idea that so many different people can step up and keep the team moving. For the Tigers to finally have that is truly fantastic, and a long time coming.
The AL Central will not be easy to stay ahead of, especially with the Twins having occasional streaks, the Guardians being a contact machine and the Royals still lurking in the back. I think the Tigers have the most real weapons, or at least the most effective ones, right now, and if they keep that going this might continue to be a runaway.
Coming Tomorrow- He got out of Chicago and now gets to play for an actual competitor. How about that?
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