Tarik Skubal

Tarik Daniel Skubal (born November 20, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2020.

Amateur career
Skubal attended Kingman Academy of Learning in Kingman, Arizona. He played college baseball for the Seattle Redhawks of Seattle University, which was the only NCAA Division I school to offer him a scholarship. Skubal missed most of the 2016 season and all of 2017 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Despite the injury, he was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 29th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign and returned to Seattle.

Early career
The Detroit Tigers selected Skubal in the ninth round of the 2018 MLB draft. and he signed with the team. Skubal spent his first professional season with the Gulf Coast Tigers, Connecticut Tigers and West Michigan Whitecaps, pitching to a combined 3–0 record and 0.40 ERA in $22 1/3$ innings pitched. He started 2019 with the Lakeland Flying Tigers. He would impress throughout the season and earn a call-up to the Erie SeaWolves on July 5. Over his first three starts with Erie, he held a 0.56 ERA with 34 strikeouts and giving up just five hits in sixteen innings. His performances over the season would earn him a jump in the MLB.com 2019 Prospect Watch from a preseason #20 ranking in the Tigers' organization to a #4 spot at the midseason update on July 27. He would finish the season at the Double-A level with a 2–3 record, 2.13 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and with opponents hitting just .168 off him. Overall in 2019 (two minor league levels), Skubal struck out 179 batters in only $122 2/3$ innings.

The Tigers invited Skubal to spring training in 2020. On August 18, 2020, Skubal was recalled from the Tigers' satellite training facility in Toledo, and he made his MLB debut later that day. On August 29, 2020, Skubal earned his first major league win against the Minnesota Twins. In five innings pitched, Skubal allowed two earned runs and three hits while striking out two and walking none in the Tigers' 4–2 win. With the 2020 Detroit Tigers, Skubal appeared in 8 games, compiling a 1–4 record with 5.63 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 32.0 innings pitched. His cutter, which averaged 95.4 mph, was the fastest cutter of any major league pitcher for the 2020 season.

2021
On March 24, 2021, new Tigers manager A. J. Hinch announced that Skubal had made the Opening Day roster out of spring training, and would be part of the Tigers' starting rotation. On July 3, Skubal recorded his 100th strikeout of the season in a game against the Chicago White Sox, becoming the first Tiger rookie in franchise history to strike out 100 or more batters before the All-Star break. In an August 25 game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Skubal recorded strikeouts for the first six outs of the game, finishing with ten strikeouts in five innings of work. On September 25 against the Kansas City Royals, Skubal reached 200 career strikeouts in his first 38 appearances, which is faster than any pitcher in Tigers franchise history. Overall in 2021, Skubal made 31 appearances (29 starts), posting an 8–12 record and 4.34 ERA while striking out 164 batters in $149 1/3$ innings.

2022
Skubal began the 2022 season in the Tigers starting rotation. After posting a 7–8 record with a 3.52 ERA, 111 ERA+, 1.16 WHIP and 117 strikeouts in $117 2/3$ innings, he was placed on the injured list August 3 with left arm fatigue. On August 17, the Tigers announced Skubal had undergone flexor tendon surgery, which ended his 2022 season.

2023
On March 14, 2023, the Tigers moved Skubal to the 60-day injured list, stating that he wasn't expected back until the summer. He was activated for his season debut on July 4. He was named American League Pitcher of the Month in September, finishing his final five starts with a 4–0 record and 0.90 ERA. In 2023, he pitched $80 1/3$ innings over 15 starts, posting a 7–3 record with a 2.80 ERA and 102 strikeouts.

2024
Skubal started for the Tigers on Opening Day of the 2024 season. On April 28, Skubal became the first pitcher in Tigers franchise history to strike out 40+ batters through his first six starts with fewer than nine walks (he had 41 strikouts and only six walks to date). In a May 5 game against the New York Yankees, Skubal became the first Tigers pitcher in over 100 years to strike out 12 or more batters without issuing a walk. The last Tiger pitcher to do so was Eric Erickson (in a 16-inning complete game) on May 24, 1918.

On July 7, Skubal was selected to represent the Tigers in the 2024 All-Star Game being held July 16, along with teammate Riley Greene. At the time of his selection, Skubal had a 10–3 record, 2.37 ERA, a league-best 0.90 WHIP and 132 strikeouts in 110 innings. He pitched a 1-2-3 second inning in the All-Star Game.

Pitch selection
Skubal throws both four-seam and sinking two-seam fastballs, each typically 94 to 96 mph. The four-seam fastball has reached 102 mph. His main offspeed pitch is a slider that typically 87 to 89 mph. He also throws a changeup that averages 83 mph and an occasional curveball that averages 76 mph.

Personal life
Skubal's father Russ is a principal in Kingman, Arizona. He has three brothers: Treyvor, Tyler, and Trent.