Detroit Tigers may have another triple crown winner in their midst

Long ago, Miguel Cabrera won the ever-elusive batting Triple Crown in 2012. He dominated the scene. The chase was followed every day for the season's last two months. It was the first time it happened since 1967.

Twelve years later, Tarik Skubal follows a similar, yet very different fate. Skubal is on pace to win the pitching Triple Crown in the American League. Since ERA became a statistic in 1912, only 20 pitchers have won the pitching Triple Crown. That is one winner every five or six years.

The pitching Triple Crown is achieved with the top marks in ERA, wins, and strikeouts. Currently, Skubal sits first in ERA (2.50) and strikeouts (214) and is tied with multiple players in wins with 16. Skubal is a frontrunner for American League Cy Young this year and fans are grateful he stayed in the Motor City after the trade deadline.

Detroit Tigers star Tarik Skubal in the mix for pitching Triple Crown

There have only been 17 pitchers to win the American League Triple Crown. Shane Beiber of the Cleveland Guardians was the last during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. If you count the last full season, Justin Verlander achieved it in 2011 with the Tigers. Verlander would also win the Cy Young and MVP award that year. Skubal, of course, is roadblocked by Yankees slugger Aaron Judge when it comes to MVP votes, but still leads the Cy Young race pretty comfortably.

Skubal has been a force the Tigers haven't had in years. This season, there is a feeling that every time No. 29 takes the mound, Detroit will win the game. Most of the time, that has been true. Skubal has been far superior to anything this city has seen since the days of Verlander or Max Scherzer.

With a potential Cy Young and Triple Crown season in the making, Skubal's asking price for an extension is only going to keep skyrocketing. There should be a sense of urgency to get Skubal signed this offseason to lock up the ace of the future. The team already signed Colt Keith to a long-term deal, so they have a core piece of their lineup. Now, securing 20% of their future rotation should be the next step.

If Scott Harris wants to make up for some of the mistakes that he has made the past few years, a Cy Young, Triple Crown winner staying in the fold would be a great way to do that.