Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal nominated for ESPY award

2 days ago

The Detroit Tigers are still in the middle of their MLB season, but their ace Tarik Skubal may be taking home some midseason hardware, anyway.
Skubal is one of four MLB players nominated in the "Best MLB Player" category at the 2025 ESPY Awards, ESPN's annual awards show. First baseman Freddie Freeman and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers and outfielder Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees join Skubal as nominees.
Skubal was the unanimous choice for the 2024 American League Cy Young Award as he went 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA in 192 innings pitched. He became the first AL player with a pitching triple crown (leading the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts) in a 162-game season since Justin Verlander did it for the Tigers in 2011.
The lefty ace is on track for an arguably even better season in 2025, now at 10-3 with a 2.23 ERA and 153 strikeouts in 121 innings. He is the favorite to win the 2025 AL Cy Young Award, which would make him just the second Tigers pitcher ever to win multiple Cy Young Awards (Denny McLain, 1968-69).
However, he likely has a slim chance of winning the ESPY award.
By FanGraph's version of wins above replacement (fWAR), Aaron Judge had the fourth-best season of the last 25 years (11.3 fWAR) in 2024, between three Barry Bonds seasons (2001-02, 2004). Ohtani also had a historic 2024 season, becoming the first player ever to hit at least 50 home runs and steal at least 50 bases in a season. He also became the first full-time designated hitter to win an MVP award as the two-way star spent the season recovering from a repair of the UCL in his throwing arm.
ANALYSIS: Detroit Tigers have second-best World Series odds, according to Vegas
While Freeman did not have as productive of a season as Skubal in 2024 (3.9 fWAR compared to Skubal's 5.9), he produced arguably the year's most iconic moment with a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning of Game 1 of the World Series against the Yankees. He hit four home runs and 12 RBIs in five games and was named the World Series MVP.
In other words, it would be a major upset if Skubal won the award.
Still, it's been an action-packed week for the lefty, as he started for the AL in the 2025 MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 15, one that the National League won in a first-of-its-kind home run derby walk-off after the game finished in a 6-6 tie after nine innings.
The ESPYS will take place at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, airing at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Celebrate 125 seasons of the Detroit Tigers with our new book!
You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal nominated for ESPY award

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Terry Rozier subject of 30 bets placed in 46 minutes for March 2023 game, according to federal investigation: Report

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27 minutes ago

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Terry Rozier subject of 30 bets placed in 46 minutes for March 2023 game, according to federal investigation: Report

While Terry Rozier was reportedly cleared by the NBA of any wrongdoing in its investigation into gambling allegations, the veteran guard remains under federal investigation. As was the case when the investigation into Rozier was first reported, a March 23, 2023 NBA game continues to draw scrutiny based on unusual activity. Rozier was the subject of 30 wagers, all placed within a 46-minute spa, ESPN's David Purdum reported upon obtaining documents from the investigation. Prior to a game between the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans on the aforementioned date, a sportsbook received $13,759 in wagers from one bettor, according to the investigation's documents. The 30 bets were all on the unders for Rozier's points, rebounds and assists. The activity was unusual enough to be noticed by U.S. Integrity, which monitors betting markets for abnormalities, resulting in six sports books and the NBA being notified. Within an hour of the alert from U.S. Integrity, most prominent sports books stopped taking bets on Rozier props. Rozier left the game after playing 10 minutes, citing a foot injury. He finished with five points, four rebounds and two assists, which were all under the betting line for his statistics. Consequently, all 30 of those bets won. The NBA investigated the betting activity and determined that no league rules were violated, thus leading to reports that Rozier had been cleared by the league. Rozier's attorney told ESPN that Rozier is no longer part of the federal investigation, which remains open. The same investigation resulted in Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter getting charged with a felony and receiving a lifetime ban from the NBA in April 2024. Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley is also being investigated by federal authorities and the NBA for prop bets placed beginning in January 2024, when he played for the Milwaukee Bucks. He has not been charged. Reporting by Pablo Torre and Yahoo Sports' Tom Haberstroh found that one figure with the alias of "Moose" connected Rozier, Porter and Beasley in gambling activity, predicting Beasley being investigated when the Rozier news was reported five months earlier. Rozier did not play the remaining eight games for the Hornets that season after that March 2023 contest. He was traded to the Miami Heat, for whom he's still under contract for $26.6 million through the 2025-26 season. In his two seasons with the Heat, Rozier has averaged 12.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists, shooting 32% on 3-pointers. However, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York would not confirm or deny Rozier's status in the investigation, according to ESPN.