Detroit Tigers hurler Tarik Skubal deserves to be on the short list of players considered to be the best starting pitcher in Major League Baseball.
Skubal is, after all, the reining Cy Young Award winner in the American League. After leading the league in wins (18), ERA (2.39) and strikeouts (228) last year, he became the first AL pitcher to win a pitching Triple Crown after a full 162-game regular season since Justin Verlander did so in 2011.
Skubal has carried positive momentum from the 2024 season into this one, as he ranks amongst MLB’s leaders in a number of statistical categories, including ERA (third, 2.35), WHIP (first, 0.86), strikeouts (first, 187), innings pitched (fourth, 145.1) and batting average against (third, .198)
So, too, does Paul Skenes, a player who Skubal praised in an interview with Foul Territory TV on Monday.
“The stuff that comes out of his hands is pretty special. He can do a lot of things with a baseball. I feel like he’s got, like, eight pitches, and they’re all pretty good, elite shapes and stuff like that,” Skubal said.
“I watch what he does. It seems to me like he dominates every time out, so it gets boring to watch. It’s like, ‘Does he ever get hit? Is he ever going to give up a hit? But I think that that’s what the really good ones do,” Skubal continued. “I think, as a starting pitcher, you want to be a little bit boring because that means nothing’s going on in the game. That means you’re pitching well.”
Skenes has put together a strong sophomore campaign for the Pittsburgh Pirates thus far in 2025. Despite possessing a losing record (7-8), he has pitched to a 1.94 ERA and 0.93 WHIP, in addition to logging 162 strikeouts to just 32 walks across 144 innings pitched in 24 starts.
Last year’s National League Rookie of the Year, Skenes has also started two All-Star Games in as many seasons.
From one award winner to another, Skubal believes Skenes will add to his trophy case with another individual accolade by year’s end.
“He’s a great arm. What he’s doing this year is phenomenal. I’m curious to see what they [the Pirates] do down the stretch with his career. They want the longevity out of him,” Skubal said. “He’s probably the Cy Young favorite in the National League for good reason.”
