2024 AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is looking for his opportunity to snag another Cy Young award in 2025. The 28-year-old Detroit Tigers ace is currently rocking a 4-2 record with a 2.08 ERA and 60 strikeouts this season.
Skubal has already demonstrated that his brilliant season was no fluke, but does the southpaw have what it takes to win the AL Cy Young for a second consecutive season? Winning Cy Young in back-to-back seasons is not exactly an easy task.
It would be a challenge for Skubal based on MLB history. Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer are the most recent starters to earn back-to-back Cy Young awards. DeGrom won in 2018 and 2019 and Scherzer won in 2016 and 2017.
Considering that only 11 pitchers in MLB history have accomplished the feat, it will be difficult for Skubal to impress voters this season. Let's explore who his primary competition for the award is this season and how their performances have matched up against him.
Does the 2024 AL Cy Young winner have a shot at defending his title?
This season, Skubal has some hefty competition in the American League for Cy Young. Garrett Crochet, Max Fried, and Hunter Brown are all strong candidates for the award, and their performances have been dominant this season.
Skubal's most compelling stat this season is his 2.7 % walk rate, which ranks in the 98th percentile.
Crochet is sporting a 4-2 record this season with a 1.92 ERA and 65 strikeouts with the Boston Red Sox. New York Yankees' ace Max Fried has been lights-out perfect with a 6-0 record and a 1.05 ERA with 47 strikeouts.
Last but not least, Houston Astros Hunter Brown has a 6-1 record with a 1.48 ERA and 58 strikeouts with an impressive 0.90 WHIP.
The competition is unbelievably steep, and that doesn't account for the narratives that will go against Skubal.
When it comes down to MLB history, the odds are not in Skubal's favor for winning back-to-back Cy Young Awards. An AL starting pitcher has not won consecutive Cy Young accolades since Pedro Martinez in 1999-2000.
Still, it helps that the Tigers are tied with the Mets for baseball's best record at 28-15. Being the best pitcher on the best team isn't a guaranteed path to winning accolades, but it could be a helpful tiebreaker if Crochet's Red Sox or Brown's Astros don't recover from their slow (i.e., .500) starts.
The AL Cy Young race will be one of the most heavily contested awards in baseball this season. Skubal will need to be better than anything he's previously shown if he hopes to repeat.