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ESPN analyst makes Tigers' Tarik Skubal AL Cy Young prediction

The Detroit Tigers have one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball dealing for them every week. Tarik Skubal has been a huge part of the Tigers' resurgence over the last two years.

His dominance on the mound has been incredible to watch, and he was awarded for his play in 2024 when he won the American League Cy Young Award. This season, Skubal is putting on another show and is once again a top Cy Young candidate.

ESPN analyst Bradford Doolittle predicted that Skubal, vying for his second-straight Cy Young Award, would just beat out Boston Red Sox star pitcher Garrett Crochet to win the award.

Tarik Skubal Predicted to Win AL Cy Young Award

"Skubal should hold on," Doolittle writes, "if only because he has shown zero evidence of slowing down his epic pace. Unless Skubal struggles, there seems to be no opening for Crochet to squeeze through, no matter how well he pitches."

The comparisons between the two top AL Cy Young candidates showcase how the award is Skubal's to lose. Skubal has started 28 games, while Crochet has started 29. It's not a big difference, and each has a few more starts to further solidify their cases.

Skubal has a 2.10 ERA (leads AL), 13-4 record, 6.6 WAR (leads AL), 222 strikeouts, 0.856 WHIP (leads MLB), and a 198 ERA+ (leads AL) over 180 innings pitched.

Crochet, meanwhile, has a 2.57 ERA, 15-5 record, 5.5 WAR, 228 strikeouts (leads MLB), 1.052 WHIP, and a 162 ERA+ over an MLB-leading 185.1 innings pitched.

Skubal has the advantage in WAR, WHIP, ERA+, and ERA. While Crochet has a slight advantage in strikeouts and innings pitched, he has had one more start than Skubal this season.

That lone extra start won't be enough for Crochet to make up the difference. If the season ended before either made another start, the AL Cy Young Award would easily go to Skubal.

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As Doolittle mentioned in his prediction, Skubal would need to collapse in his final few starts for Crochet to have a chance to win the AL Cy Young Award over him.

What makes this season so impressive from Skubal is that it's a better year than he had in 2024 when he previously won the AL Cy Young Award. His 2024 ERA was 2.39, 0.29 higher than it is this season.

The only major difference from Skubal in 2025 to 2024 is that he's not winning as many games, as his 18-4 record in 2024 won't be matched by Skubal in 2025. A pitcher's win-loss record is not entirely on the pitcher, as the offense does need to score runs.

If Skubal holds on and wins his second-straight Cy Young award, he'd become the most recent pitcher to win back-to-back Cy Young awards since Pedro Martinez at the turn of the century.

Crochet has a solid case and would be a Cy Young winner in plenty of other seasons. But what Skubal is doing on the mound is nothing short of remarkable. Barring a collapse, there's little chance for Skubal to not walk away from the 2025 season without a second Cy Young Award.