The Detroit Tigers have an ace in Tarik Skubal to carry them in the postseason, but the team needs more of their starting pitcher staff to rise to the occasion in October.
Casey Mize, Jack Flaherty, and Charlie Morton will lead the rotation with Skubal. For Flaherty, there’s one area of his game that is becoming a major concern.
Christian Romo of The Detroit Free Press identified the area of Flaherty’s game that is a “bad omen” for the Tigers. That area is Flaherty’s development into a fly-ball pitcher.
Jack Flaherty is Flirting With the Long Ball
Pitchers typically would prefer to give up ground balls when hitters make contact. There’s a higher chance for an out, likely not as strong contact, and also the chance for a double-play if the situation is right.
But for Flaherty, as Romo outlines, he’s been allowing a lot more fly balls as of late. Those can turn into home runs, doubles, and losses if he allows so many.
“Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty has a high fly ball rate, ranking seventh in MLB before Sunday’s start.” Romo writes. “Entering Sunday’s game, which ended with a 10-8 loss for the Tigers to the Royals, Flaherty had recorded a 45% fly ball rate for the 2025 season.”
This fly ball rate doesn’t bode well for Flaherty, as evidenced by his team-leading 21 home runs allowed this season.
He’s tied for 20th in MLB this season in home runs allowed, with fellow Tigers pitcher Chris Paddack ranking 13th with 23 home runs given up this season.
Flaherty has a 7-13 record, which is the most losses by a pitcher in the American League this season. His ground ball percentage (34.5 percent) is the lowest of any season in his big league career.
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Batters are hitting the ball harder off Flaherty than they’ve ever hit him in his big league career. His hard-hit percentage is at 43.9 percent, which is the highest of his career by 2.4 percent, and is 7.9 percent higher than it was in 2024.
The Tigers have World Series aspirations, and to get there, they will need Flaherty to overcome his high fly ball rate. He’s had solid outings this season, but overall, his struggles on the mound have led to a disappointing 2025 season for Flaherty.
To be a major contributor to the Tigers in the postseason, Flaherty will need to limit his fly-ball rate. He might be able to get by in the regular season now and then, but come October, he can’t afford to give up as many fly balls as he is now.
This is something to monitor for the Tigers in the final month of the year, as a lower fly ball rate could be huge for Flaherty come the postseason.
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