MLB Players Don't Think Any Pitcher Is Better Than Detroit Tigers Superstar Ace

The Detroit Tigers have the reigning AL Cy Young winner leading their starting rotation, and his peers in MLB have voted him as the best pitcher in the sport.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) celebrates after a double play against Cleveland Guardians in the sixth inning of Game 2 of ALDS at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal ran away with the American League Cy Young Award in 2024.

In 31 starts, he went 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts in 192 innings pitched.

The southpaw's season would have been Cy Young worthy any year, but in a campaign where many of the AL's top arms were sidelined with injuries, he was a no-brainer selection for this award.

Skubal earned all 30 first-place votes, beating out Kansas City Royals pitchers Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans along with Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase.

Now, Skubal is racking up votes of a different kind before the 2025 campaign where he'll look to become the first American Leaguer to win back-to-back Cy Youngs since Pedro Martinez in 1999 and 2000.

MLB.com and its beat reporters conducted a player survey, granting more than 100 of the game's key figures anonymity to vote on superlatives ahead of Opening Day.

When it came to picking the best pitcher, Skubal came out ahead as the clear choice, as according to reporter Brent Maguire, the Detroit star lapped the field.

"It’s been a meteoric rise for Skubal, who was voted the best pitcher by his MLB peers," Maguire wrote. "It wasn’t even close -- Skubal more than doubled any other pitcher’s vote total. After undergoing flexor tendon surgery in August 2022, Skubal returned the following July and has been baseball’s best pitcher since."

Players took note of what Skubal did on the mound last year, and based on the numbers he wracked up, it would have been difficult not to notice.

"It's hard not to go with Skubal after he was the best pitcher in the game last year. He was awesome,” an American League first baseman said.

Another player took note of Skubal's dominant effort in the postseason, helping the Tigers knock the Houston Astros out in the Wild Card round and nearly leading the team to an ALDS win over the Guardians.

“He almost single-handedly won that [ALDS] series for them," an AL outfielder said. "He went out three times and did his thing three times. There's only one pitch he regrets, and everything else was untouchable."

Skubal and the Tigers have their sights set on improving upon that ALDS appearance this year, and optimism is abound in Detroit for good reason.

Manager A.J. Hinch has already confirmed that Skubal will get the ball on Opening Day when the Tigers will face off against the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.