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Tigers Baseball Report

Tarik Skubal Shares Insight: Dillon Dingler’s Habits and Why He Rarely Shakes Him Off

The Tigers have the best catcher in baseball this season, and the praise he receives is very well warranted.
Maddy Dickens|
Tigers Tarik Skubal (29) signals to catcher Dillon Dingler (not in the photo) after a play against the Athletics Tuesday
Tigers Tarik Skubal (29) signals to catcher Dillon Dingler (not in the photo) after a play against the Athletics Tuesday | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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Detroit Tigers

It isn't necessarily often that a player will speak so candidly about his teammate being snubbed for certain accolades, but the Detroit Tigers' starting pitcher, Tarik Skubal, had plenty to say regarding Dillon Dingler's snub as an All-Star starter.

Jon Morosi shared a blip of his conversation with Skubal (via X) regarding Dingler and the All-Star reserve selection:

“He should start the All-Star Game. He’s the best catcher in baseball, no doubt. Go look at every single number. He should be the one behind the dish. The guy on the other side is very good, too, but I think [Dingler] is the best catcher in baseball."

This might be quite the proclamation for Skubal, but if any pitcher is allowed to make comments like the one above, it is the reigning back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner, and even though it might seem biased, that is far from the truth.

Skubal goes on to explain why he doesn't shake off Dingler, and it is clear that there is absolutely no reason to question the man behind the plate.

“He’s got this little notebook,” Skubal told Morosi. “He keeps it with him everywhere. I’m walking in today. He’s got it on the ping-pong table. He’s going over their team vs. left-handed pitching, their team vs. right-handed pitching, writing down notes with everything. That’s the homework that gives me a ton of confidence in how he calls games."

So, if anyone is upset about the selection, it is Skubal, and if one thing does keep him in a Tigers' uniform, it will be having Dingler on the roster.

How Dingler Compares to All Qualified Catchers

Dillon Dingler hits a baseball in a black Jerse
Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler (13) hits an RBI single against the Texas Rangers during the fifth inning at Globe Life Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dingler and Skubal have emerged as arguably the best catcher/pitcher duo in baseball as the pair are 17-8 with a 2.28 ERA and 309 strikeouts in 39 appearances. That means Skubal is averaging nearly eight punchies a game, miraculous.

One of those instances came Tuesday evening when they were facing off with the Athletics. Now, that is a power-based offense, so it isn't shocking that one player got the best of him with a long ball, but it was the only run scored in his outing.

Skubal ended up leaving after five innings with nine strikeouts, two walks, and the lone earned run. These two are vital to the success of this team, to say the least.

Somehow, after winning a measly six games in June, their season isn't necessarily dead, as the American League has been quite a dumpster fire, so they aren't out of the wild-card playoff race. That being said, they need the best from Dingler and Skubal for the rest of the season, and with all of the preparation Dingler does, it seems like the Tigers will get it.

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Maddy Dickens
MADDY DICKENS

Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.

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