Detroit Tigers: Future Award Winners

Cy Young Award

Tarik Skubal, 2025

The swiftness of Tarik Skubal’s rise to the majors put a bit of a cap on his prospect ranking, but it became clear relatively early on that he was the best of Detroit’s impressive arms. Casey Mize certainly had his moments, but it was Skubal who became the workhorse of the staff, and eventually a true Ace. The planets seemed to align for him in 2025, with defensive gems from Carlos Correa and Marcelo Mayer aiding him during an early season no-hitter of Kansas City, and the burgeoning dominance of reliever Matt Manning helping him rack up wins. The biggest feather in his cap was probably a dominant, 14-K shutout of the White Sox in early September that kept Detroit in the thick of the division race.

MVP Award

Riley Greene, OF, 2027

Riley Greene debuted in late 2022 and spent the next four years as a very productive hitter. In 2024 he threatened to break the franchise record for doubles in a season, and he earned All-Star bids in both 2025 and 2026. But it was a pre-season swing changed suggested by new hitting coach J.D. Martinez that led to Greene transforming into Christian Yelich. It looked ugly at first, with Greene hitting just .163 with 2 home runs in April, but then it all clicked and he batted .361 the rest of the way. He led the league in opposite-field home runs, played average defense in right field, and even added 14 stolen bases to become the first Tigers batter to surpass 7 WAR in a season since Miguel Cabrera in 2013.