What is the Greatest Strength for the Detroit Tigers This Season?
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The Detroit Tigers have emerged as one of the hottest teams in baseball as we head into September, as they are riding a five-game winning streak and have moved to over .500.
While it has been an easy part of the schedule for the Tigers in the last week, they were able to sweep the Chicago White Sox in a four-game series, and started off with a win against the Los Angeles Angels in the first game of their three-game series.
As two of the worst teams in the major leagues, Detroit knew this would be their chance to move up the standings and make a run at a Wild Card spot. They have been able to do just that behind strong pitching and a lineup that has come alive of late.
Zachary Rymer of Bleacher Report recently spoke about the rise of Tarik Skubal and the young talent around him being the greatest strength for Detroit this season.
“A star vacuum opened up in Detroit as soon as Miguel Cabrera exited his prime years, but along has come Tarik Skubal to fill it. He's the runaway favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award, and his 15 wins, 2.58 ERA and 193 strikeouts put the Triple Crown in play, too.”
“Meanwhile, the stink of Al Avila's failed rebuild is fading more and more every day. Riley Greene is already a star, and the Tigers can otherwise feel good about Kerry Carpenter, Colt Keith and what's left to come from a top-10 farm system.”
Having a superstar like Miguel Cabrera get older and retire is never an easy thing to replace. Cabrera is a future Hall of Famer, and one of the best right-handed hitters of all-time. Fortunately for the Tigers, the emergence of Skubal brought a lot of attention to the franchise.
Skubal is closing in on winning the AL Cy Young, as he leads the league in wins and ERA. Skubal has become a bonafide No.1 starter and is a true ace in the league. While Skubal has pitched great this season, he isn’t the only person on the Tigers playing well.
Since Detroit has struggled for quite some time, they have had draft picks, which has resulted in them stockpiling some talented prospects. With a Top-10 farm system in baseball and a MLB roster that is already in the playoff conversation, the rebuild for the Tigers is going pretty well.
While having Skubal is certainly a great strength for the franchise, having other young players producing and getting ready to come up could set the Tigers up for long-term success.
Nick Ziegler is an alumnus of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. He has been working in sports media covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL for nearly a decade with various publications online. With his free time, Nick enjoys being at the Jersey Shore with his wife, daughter, and their golden retriever. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @NickZiegler20.