Tarik Skubal's Opening Day message will have Tigers fans ready to run through a wall

Tarik Skubal is the shining jewel of the Tigers organization, and that's just a fact. There are many guys behind him who are getting a lot of hype or showing a lot of promise, but no one on the Tigers — no one in baseball, even — is doing it like Skubal.

The reigning Cy Young winner has not only become the face of the team but is working his way into becoming one of the faces of baseball (if his appearances in most of MLB's Opening Day hype reels are any indication).

It's not that the entire weight of the Tigers' season rests on Skubal's shoulders, but he's the most exciting thing about this team, maybe in years, and he's making his second Opening Day start for Detroit against the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers.

Skubal understands the gravity of that, and the way that the odds are already stacked heavily against the Tigers right from Day 1. But, in a letter to the city and its fans, which the Tigers posted on Wednesday night ahead of his first start of the year, Skubal said it perfectly, "You believe in us, and we all believe in you. [...] We have unfinished business, so...let's run it back."

Tigers fans might shed a few tears when reading Tarik Skubal's letter to Detroit ahead of Opening Day

Skubal will get the ball against the Dodgers after fellow Cy Young winner Blake Snell gets his turn through the top of the Tigers' lineup, and he'll immediately be presented with three pitchers' nightmares — Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman — but no one is better suited for the challenge and the moment than Skubal, who already ramped up basically to full power in spring training, and made it clear that he's ready to, in his own words, run it back.

Odds-makers have already projected that the Tigers' chances of winning the AL Central (in some cases, even cracking third place) are low, but Detroit has already beaten tougher odds than that.

Sure, the Tigers have a lot to figure out through the beginning of this season. Parker Meadows, Matt Vierling, and Wenceel Pérez are all hurt, and the Tigers are counting on at least average production from players who have sketchy track records. But if anything will get fans hyped up and ready to bet on this team, it's Skubal's call to action. Let's do this.