Tarik Skubal cheated out of All-Star Game start despite steady dominance for Tigers

ESPN's Jeff Passan had some (aggressively prompted) high praise for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal after gunning hard for Paul Skenes to start this year's All-Star Game for the National League. A fan on Twitter basically dared Passan to heap praise upon Skubal, and Passan replied gamely, saying the lefty had been "the best pitcher in baseball this season" and that "he should absolutely start the All-Star Game for the AL."

Tigers fans could've told you both of those things without even being prompted, but it was nice to see it telegraphed to a wider, probably non-AL-Central-watching baseball populous. Skubal's 116 innings, 2.41 ERA, and absence of signs that say he'll slow down have made him not only the best pitcher in Detroit but the best in MLB. He's the odds-on favorite to win the AL Cy Young this year, and his first All-Star nod should absolutely be accompanied by a start for the league.

However, Passan was also the one to confirm that Skubal would be getting passed over for the latter, and that the Baltimore Orioles' Corbin Burnes would instead be the first to face the NL's star-studded lineup on Tuesday in what's absolutely a miscarriage of justice for the Skubal and the Tigers.

Tarik Skubal robbed of an All-Star Game start he deserved in favor of Corbin Burnes

There's no doubt that Burnes has also been fantastic for the O's this year, having pitched 118 2/3 innings for a 2.43 ERA. He has the second-best odds to win the Cy Young behind Skubal. However, Skubal's MLB-leading 4.5 WAR, 10-3 win-loss record, 173 ERA+, 140 strikeouts, 30.8% strikeout rate, and so on, all of which top Burnes' numbers, should speak for itself.

And, look, it's generally understood that the All-Star Game is mostly about optics over anything else. It's a chance for fans of every team to root for at least one of their players, but has zero impact on the rest of the season. However, that could make things all the more frustrating when you think about how the Orioles have become one of MLB's darlings, they're leading the mighty AL East, and Burnes is a four-time All-Star including this season, and won the NL Cy Young in 2021.

For those reasons, it's easy to see why MLB would choose Burnes, but that's not nearly good enough for Tigers fans, and it shouldn't be. Skubal deserved that start, and for a fanbase that's constantly being told "maybe next year" by their own team, it's even more of a knife to the gut to hear it from the league.

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