MLB’s best pitcher? The answer probably isn’t a surprise to Detroit Tigers fans.

ESPN MLB insider Buster Olney released his top-10 list of starting pitchers on Monday, Feb. 16, preluding it with the difficult decision of having to choose between Detroit lefty Tarik Skubal and Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes.

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In the end, however, Olney put Skubal on top.

“Skubal has been at the top of the mountain longer than Skenes, who made his major league debut early in the 2024 season,” he writes. “Skubal also has back-to-back Cy Young awards, something that hadn’t been accomplished by an American League pitcher in about a quarter century.”

A third-straight Cy Young, something an AL pitcher has never accomplished, is exactly what Skubal is aiming for in 2026.

Skubal’s 2025 season was arguably his best, with the lefty putting up a career-best 2.21 ERA over a career-high 195â…“ innings. He also had MLB’s best walk rate among qualified pitchers (1.52 per nine innings) and the third-highest strikeout rate (11.10 per nine innings) on his way to his second-straight AL Cy Young and second-straight playoff appearance with Detroit.

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It’s those types of numbers and accomplishments that have led Skubal to earn a $32 million salary for the upcoming season, a record for an arbitration-eligible player.

However, Skenes was arguably just as impressive as Skubal in only his second major league season.

Skenes led all qualified MLB starters in ERA (1.97) and FIP (2.36) while pitching to a 10-10 record over 32 starts for a lowly Pirates team. He and Skubal were the starters for the NL and AL in the 2025 All-Star Game and both finished the season with Cy Young Awards in their respective leagues.

The debate between Skubal and Skenes as the best pitcher in baseball is an interesting one. The two pitchers were essentially level in FanGraphs WAR in 2025 (Skubal had 6.6, Skenes had 6.5), with Skubal beating Skenes in strikeouts and walks per nine innings but Skenes beating Skubal in ERA and home run rate.

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And at just 23 years old, Skenes is six years younger than Skubal, who is currently entering the final year of team control with the Tigers. For that reason, it would be understandable for a talent evaluator to choose Skenes over Skubal in a long-term scenario.

But Skubal is on top of the mountain for now, chasing history and a ring with the team that drafted him back in 2018.

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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers ace Tarik Skubal ranked No. 1 pitcher by ESPN