Lakeland, Fla. – Tarik Skubal, the No. 4 ranked prospect in the Tigers’ system (No. 2 in The Detroit News rankings) did not waste time making a strong first impression.
In a 5-4 win against NAIA Southeastern University in the annual Grapefruit League tune-up Friday, the lefty Skubal struck out five of the six batters he faced, throwing 18 strikes out of 22 pitches. His fastball, which topped out at 98 mph, was steady at 95-96.
He also got swings-and-misses with his curve ball and change-up.