Tigers Ace Predicted To Join Historic Company With Second-Straight Triple Crown

The Detroit Tigers ace could join a historic group by winning his second-straight AL Cy Young award.

Jul 30, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; The hat and glove of Detroit Tigers right fielder Robbie Grossman (8) sits on the ledge of the dugout during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Comerica Park. | Raj Mehta-Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers have one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, who could stamp himself in the history books this year by accomplishing an incredibly rare feat.

CBS Sports analyst Mike Axisa recently made his predictions for the second half of 2025. In it, he showcased heavy confidence in Tigers ace Tarik Skubal.

More News: Tigers Star Javier Baez Dealing with Shoulder Issue After Exiting Sunday

The prediction was that Skubal would win his second-straight AL Triple Crown. That is only earned when a pitcher leads his league in wins, strikeouts and ERA. Skubal doesn't currently hold the sole lead in any of the categories.

Only five pitchers have done that before in the past: Roger Clemens, Sandy Koufax, Lefty Grove and Grover Alexander. That is a list of pitchers that only consists of the elite of the elite, five of the best hurlers in the sport of baseball's history.

Skubal joining that group would put him squarely on the path to the Hall of Fame and cement himself as the current best pitcher of this next generation of stars.

More News: Tigers Sign Former World Series Champion to Provide Potential Bullpen Depth

The 28-year-old would have to deliver even more elite results than what he has already done, as he will need to separate himself in every category. The good news is that he isn't far away from doing it in any of them.

He is currently tied for the AL lead in ERA at 2.19 with Boston Red Sox star Garret Crochet. Two of his last five starts have seen him give up four earned runs, but he gave up just one combined in the other three, so it evens out.

Skubal has only allowed three or more runs in six of his 20 starts this season. For Crochet, that number is just three. The Red Sox ace has also started to go deeper into outings on a regular basis, which is helping him bring his ERA down even further.

More News: MLB Insider Says Tigers One Piece Away from Potential World Series Title

Crochet is also ahead of Skubal in strikeouts by just one. It is going to be hard for Skubal to beat out Crochet in that category specifically, as it is one of his biggest strengths.

Over their past 10 starts, Skubal has had a 1.59 ERA with 85 strikeouts in 68 innings of work. Crochet has a 2.42 ERA with 87 strikeouts in 67 innings.

It is going to be a tight race between the two in both categories, but Skubal really just needs to keep doing what he's doing.

There are seven pitchers with 10 or 11 wins right now. Crochet and New York Yankees ace Max Fried are in the lead with 11. Skubal has 10.

The good news for Skubal is that Detroit has the best record in baseball and have the offense to back him up when he pitches well.

It is far from a lock to happen, but the Tigers superstar certainly has a chance to join that elite company with his second-straight AL Triple Crown win.

For more Tigers news, head over to Tigers On SI.