Detroit Tigers Star Pitchers Already in Midseason Form During Spring Training Debuts

The Detroit Tigers star-studded one-two punch atop the rotation has gotten off to a stellar start this spring.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal throws at batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One of the strengths of the Detroit Tigers down the stretch of the 2024 season during their unprecedented run to the postseason was their elite pitching.

Manager A.J. Hinch pressed all the right buttons, eating up innings and making things work despite the lack of starting pitching options at his disposal.

The “pitching chaos” strategy of openers, bulk pitchers and full bullpen games was only made possible because of the presence of Tarik Skubal.

His dominance every fifth day was a major reason why Hinch was able to deploy the bullpen so often the other days he wasn’t on the mound. The manager knew that his ace would answer the call whenever it was his turn to take the ball.

Skubal stepped up big time, winning the American League Cy Young Award in the process.

His defense of the award began on Feb. 26 as he made his spring training debut in 2025 against the Minnesota Twins.

It certainly looks like he is ready to contend for the prestigious award again as he picked up right where he left off.

As shared by Pitch Profiler on X, Skubal said that he only took one day off this offseason and his debut would certainly back that up.

He made quick work of the Twins, facing only seven batters in two innings. One hit was allowed with one strikeout, as his change was in midseason form with a proStuff+ of 120 and whiff rate of 50%.

His slider also generated a whiff rate of 50%.

Overall, Skubal had a proStuff+ score of 102 with a whiff rate of 30.0%. Not a single batter made good contact, as he had a perfect 0.0% barrel rate.

Tarik Skubal's day is done, and needless to say, he's still in Cy Young form!

The 2024 AL Cy Young winner said he took only one day off last offseason—and it showed. This is certainly a guy determined to repeat! pic.twitter.com/XRnNMU5RWO

— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) February 26, 2025

While the Tigers know they can count on Skubal to dominate every time he takes the mound, starting pitching was their biggest need in the offseason.

Injuries and the trade deadline decimated the depth behind their ace, but what was once a weakness now looks to be a strength.

One of the players who are helping fill the void behind Skubal is a familiar face; Jack Flaherty.

For the second straight offseason, he signed a free agent deal with Detroit.

It was a pairing that worked out magnificently in 2024, as the Tigers received such good production from the veteran that they flipped him to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the deadline in exchange for shortstop Trey Sweeney and catcher Liranzo Thayron.

He was an excellent No. 2 before the trade for the Tigers and they are hoping he can provide similar production this year.

If his spring training debut is an indication of things to come, this is going to be a fruitful reunion.

Flaherty had his fastball/breaking ball combo working against the Boston Red Sox. He threw the four-seamer on 40 percent of his pitches, recording a 110 proStuff+ score with a 40.0% whiff rate and 0.0% barrel rate.

His knuckle curveball was unhittable with a 107 proStuff+ score and 100.0% whiff rate.

Jack Flaherty made his return to the Tigers in his spring debut, showcasing a sharp four-seam/slider mix. His knuckle-curve was dominant, generating plenty of whiffs, and he looked comfortable on the mound.

A strong first outing back with Detroit! pic.twitter.com/lxuIwnrW1m

— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) February 27, 2025

Skubal and Flaherty showed last year that they could be one of the best one-two punches in baseball and Detroit is certainly hoping that they can replicate that success once the games begin to count in a few weeks.