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Justin Verlander's brother Ben couldn't help but sing the praises of the Detroit Tigers for their scintillating start to the new season. Verlander, who happened to be a former draft pick by Detroit in the 2013 MLB Draft — recently shared what the team's strengths are this year, including reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.
Verlander elaborated on the three advantages that the Tigers have, which other MLB teams — like the reigning champion Dodgers lack. The media personality stated Skubal, manager A.J. Hinch, and Javier Baez as the main driving forces of the team's success this year.
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"You know what the Dodgers and other teams don't have? They don't have Tarik Skubal — the best pitcher in baseball. They don't have A.J. Hinch — the best manager in baseball. [And] they don't have Javier Baez, who's having a resurgence right now," said Verlander. (2:08-2:25)
Ben Verlander discussed the key points on the most recent episode of the "Flippin' Bats" podcast. Skubal, who claimed the just the fourth lefty to win an AL Cy Young in the last decade, is off to another brilliant start this year. He has posted a 4-2 record in nine starts with a 2.67 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 71 strikeouts this season.
Per Baseball Savant, Skubal is in the 99th-percentile of the league in pitching run value and the 100th-percentile in offspeed run value. The 28-year-old has also largely kept batters from getting on base as he's in the 99th-percentile of walk rate having issued just six in total across 54 innings.
Apart from Skubal, Verlander also lauded the strategical prowess of Tigers skipper A.J. Hinch, who was the brainchild of primarily utilizing relievers to finish off games since the backend of 2024 — leading to an unprecedented success of the squad. Finally, Verlander commended Javier Baez for getting over a long slump and reinventing himself to one of the best outfielders in the game this year.
"Javy Baez has probably been the most made fun of baseball player around the league for a couple of years running now. It's been bad [and] it's been brutal...Entering Sunday's [game], he's hitting .300 with an .836 OPS and six homers. Javy Baez is back. The magician is back, and he's not playing shortstop — he's now playing center field." (2:30-3:24)
Tigers' run of dominance in 2025
At the time of writing, the Tigers remain as the only team in MLB that has reached 30 wins this year. The amazing Detroit squad holds the best record in baseball at 31-17, including a 17-5 card at home.
The team has balanced both hitting and pitching as they are within the top 10 in the league in counting stats and averages for both categories. Detroit currently possess the fifth-best OPS at .754 and sixth-best ERA at 3.36. Given the feat that they accomplished last season, only a few pegged the squad to supercede the expectations that were set this early into the new campaign.
