Subscribe
Follow Us
The Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal is having a dominant 2025 season, earning his second career All-Star selection and emerging as a front-runner to start the Midsummer Classic. However, despite the honor, Skubal expressed clear disappointment, not for himself, but for his teammates who were overlooked.
“To be honest, I’m a little disappointed with only the four guys we got,” Skubal said after the All-Star reserves and pitchers were announced on Sunday via The Athletic's Cody Stavenhagen. “I think there’s a lot more deserving guys on our team. We got the best record in the American League. I would like to think we’d be more represented there.”
Skubal’s performance this year has been nothing short of elite. Through 116 innings, he has posted a league-best 2.02 ERA, a 0.81 WHIP, and an 11-2 record, leading all of Major League Baseball in wins, WHIP, winning percentage, shutouts, strikeout-to-walk ratio, and walks per nine innings. With 148 strikeouts, he is on pace to surpass his numbers from his Cy Young season just a year ago.
The Tigers, with a 57–34 record, currently hold the best mark in the MLB. They sit 13.5 games ahead in the AL Central and are viewed as a favorite to win the division. Despite that success, the team received just four All-Star selections, Skubal, Riley Greene, Javier Baez, and Gleyber Torres, all of whom were named starters.
Tarik Skubal's disappointment isn’t without merit, as several other Tigers players have strong cases for All-Star inclusion. Casey Mize, the team’s No. 2 starter, owns a 9-2 record with a 2.63 ERA in 15 starts, while Spencer Torkelson has delivered power at the plate with 20 home runs and 56 RBIs.
Zach McKinstry has been a versatile asset with a .814 OPS across multiple positions, and catcher Dillon Dingler has impressed with a .272 average and eight home runs. In the bullpen, Will Vest has posted a 2.25 ERA, and Tommy Kahnle has maintained a 2.89 ERA, both providing reliable relief throughout the season.
Although more Tigers could be added as replacements due to injury or withdrawal, Skubal believes their inclusion should have been certain from the outset.
