Lakeland, Fla. – Go ahead. Admit it. You had no idea Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers was the toughest starting pitcher to hit last year. He still is nowhere on your radar when it comes to potential breakout stars of 2024—maybe even Cy Young Award contenders.
Be forewarned. Overlook him at your own risk, which is pretty much what the baseball industry has done up to now.
Skubal is a 27-year-old lefthander from Kingman, Ariz., a small town in the northwest corner of the state better known for its turquoise lode and its kitschy status as the heart of Route 66 than as a baseball factory. As a high school senior throwing in the 80s, he received exactly one college scholarship offer, which he didn’t want to take. Three years later, MLB teams picked 254 players ahead of him before the Tigers finally took him in the ninth round. Six years later, including a second elbow surgery, Skubal still hasn’t thrown 150 innings in a pro season while averaging just 90 innings.
