MLB Experts Expecting Clean Sweep for Detroit Tigers Star Up for Prestigious Award
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There was never a doubt when it came to talent with Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal. The upside was there, it was just a matter of putting it all together.
Making his MLB debut in the truncated 2020 campaign certainly wasn’t easy. He pitched a full season in 2021, but injuries sidelined him for stretches of 2022 and 2023.
His potential dominance was on display in 2023, as he made 15 starts and blew away opponents. He recorded a 7-3 record with a 2.80 ERA across 80 innings, striking out 102.
Then in 2024, everything finally clicked.
Skubal was in the argument as the best starting pitcher in baseball. He won the triple cown in the American League, recording 18 victories, a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts. His 6.3 WAR was tops in baseball among pitchers, while his ERA+ of 170 and FIP of 2.50 were also the best in the AL.
It resulted in him being named to the All-Star team for the first time in his career and more accolades are likely on the way.
The Cy Young Award will almost certainly be won by the Tigers star. The only thing really up for debate is by how much he will win the award by.
If the predictions from ESPN’s MLB experts are any indication of what is to come, it will be in a landslide. They have predicted, unanimously, that Skubal will be named the 2024 AL Cy Young Award winner.
“Long touted for his upside, Skubal put it all together in 2024, becoming the AL's most dominant and consistent starting pitcher during the regular season, leading the Tigers to a surprise postseason berth.
Skubal became the AL's first full-season winner of the pitching triple crown since another Tiger, Justin Verlander, did it in 2011. (Cleveland's Shane Bieber did it in the shortened 2020 season.) With league-leading totals of 18 wins, 228 strikeouts and a 2.39 ERA, Skubal is well positioned to win his first Cy Young,” wrote Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.
The other finalists for the award are starting pitcher Seth Lugo of the Kansas City Royals and Emmanuel Clase, the closer for the Cleveland Guardians.
Both players had wonderful seasons for their respective teams, but are going to finish a distance second and third behind the Detroit ace. The race for second place will be more hotly contested than the one for first.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.