$875K pitcher picked over Tarik Skubal by Team USA skipper as MLB's best ace

The ongoing 2025 MLB season has already witnessed some noteworthy performances after just over a month of action. While there has been an intense battle on the home run leaderboard this season, two pitchers have stood out on the mound.

Reigning American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal and reigning National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes were picked as the two best pitchers by MLB Central on the MLB Network.

Mark DeRosa, returning as manager of Team USA for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, was asked to pick between Skubal and Skenes as MLB's best ace this season.

The Team USA skipper preferred the young Pirates ace as the pitcher he would want on the mound for his team. DeRosa highlighted Skenes' stellar performance against the Los Angeles Dodgers last week as the reason behind his pick.

"I'm gonna shock you right here, based on what I saw Friday night at Dodger Stadium, It's Skenes," DeRosa said on the best ace in MLB. "I'd say Skenes for me if I'm handing the ball somebody right now. Based on what I saw Friday night, but I don't even want to choose (between them)."

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Paul Skenes, who is on a $875,000 contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, had his best start of the season against a star-studded Dodgers lineup on Friday. He kept the defending World Series champions scoreless through 6 1/3 innings with a season-high nine strikeouts in a 3-0 win for the Pirates.

Team USA skipper give Tarik Skubal his flowers after season-best start

Although Mark DeRosa picked Pual Skenes as the best ace, the former MLB utility player also highlighted Tarik Skubal's dominance on the mound this season.

"Watching Tarik Skubal pitch the entire 2024 and into this year, especially against Baltimore over the weekend, he's doing it with two pitches," DeRosa said. "A 98 to 100mph heater and one of the most devastating changeups I've ever seen, and he's doing it with the mean on. He's ultra-confident; he's owning the mound. It's like everything's happening on his terms. "

Like Skenes, Tarik Skubal also had his best start of the season last week. Skubal pitched six scoreless innings against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, striking out a season-high 11 hitters. His performance helped the Tigers to a 7-0 win to sweep the Orioles.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash