Tarik Skubal 2026 Fantasy Baseball Outlook: Top Arm Following Consecutive AL Cy Young Awards
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal one-upped his 2024 AL Cy Young campaign with another Cy-winning effort that saw more strikeouts (241), fewer walks (33), and lower ERA/WHIP ratios (2.21/0.89). His strikeout rate popped back to 32.2% after going to 30.3% on the back of a two-percentage-point burst in swinging-strike rate and a three-point rise in first-strike rate. The incredible form did not lead to more wins, however, as he went 13-6 compared to 18-4 in '24. But award voters have moved past that as a decisive factor, which left Skubal with 26 first-place Cy Young votes. There were early-career question marks regarding the southpaw's longevity, but now we've seen back-to-back years with nearly 200 frames of elite production. And we're well over 200 if you include the playoffs, where Skubal has been even better! In 2025, Skubal gave up four runs with an amazing 36:4 K:BB over 20 ⅔ IP against the best of the best. He heads into his age-29 season as the top-ranked fantasy pitcher who now has a sturdy bullpen trio of Kenley Jansen, Will Vest, and Kyle Finnegan to close out his wins. He holds an early ADP and RotoBaller rank of six, going off the board after the top tier of bats are selected.
Read More News
RADIO



