Detroit — The appetizer portion of Tarik Skubal’s offseason is just about over.
With the main course — likely his second straight American League Cy Young Award — coming in a little over a week, Skubal has nibbled on a pair of honors this week.
On Wednesday, he won the MLBPA Players’ Choice Award for the most outstanding pitcher in the American League. And on Thursday, in a vote of the Detroit Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America, Skubal was named Tiger of the Year for the second straight season.
Skubal received 20 of 23 votes, with Riley Greene, Dillon Dingler and Kerry Carpenter each receiving one vote.
This one was a no-brainer.
Skubal led the American League in 12 different statistical categories this season, including WAR (6.6), WHIP (0.891), strikeout-walk ratio (7.3) and was second in strikeouts per nine innings (11.1).
“He’s just a complete bulldog out there,” said Pirates ace Paul Skenes, who is favored to win the National League Cy Young Award. “You talk about predator versus prey, he’s the predator. Always attacking, just attacking the strike zone with his stuff. Obviously, it’s really good stuff and, you know, he trusts it.”
Skubal’s plus-51 run value ranks in the top percentile in baseball. In 31 regular-season starts (195.1 innings), he limited hitters to a .200 average and a sub-.600 OPS (.559), with a 32% strikeout rate and 4% walk rate.
And in three postseason starts, he allowed four runs in 20.2 innings with 36 strikeouts and four walks.
All of that is why he is expected, on Nov. 12, to become the first pitcher since Pedro Martinez in 1999-2000 to win back-to-back Cy Young Awards.
Around the horn
The Detroit Chapter of the BBWAA also named Spencer Torkelson as the recipient of the 2025 Good Guy Award, given to the player who best exemplifies a cooperative spirit with the beat writers who cover the team. In a clubhouse full of worthy recipients, Torkelson stood out especially during the team’s slide in the final two months of the regular season. He stood in front his locker after a lot of tough losses and never ducked a question.
… Per MLB transactions, the Tigers have re-signed veteran catcher Tomas Nido to a minor-league contract. Nido, 31, spent the entire 2025 season in the Tigers’ system, appearing in 10 games with the Tigers. He was also on the club’s postseason taxi squad.
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