"Similar characteristics to Tarik Skubal" - Justin Verlander’s brother lays out the case for his 2025 NL Cy Young prediction

On Wednesday, Justin Verlander's brother, MLB analyst Ben, predicted the 2025 National League Cy Young award winner. He selected Pirates ace Paul Skenes to bring home the award at the end of the year opposite the Tigers' Tarik Skubal for the American League.

Ben, known for his affinity for Shohei Ohtani, praised Skenes' ability and admired the young stud in his first full year with the league. Skenes claimed the National League Rookie of the Year honors and fell short of the NL Cy Young award after placing third overall.

"This is why I like Paul Skenes a lot, [he has] very similar characteristics to Tarik Skubal," Verlander said. (20:50)

"Give me Skenes and Skubal to win the two Cy Young awards."

Verlander continued highlighting Skenes' ability and work ethic on Wednesday's episode of "Flippin' Bats."

"The guy is absolutely disgusting. I don't think there's anybody with better stuff as a starting pitcher coming into the year than Paul Skenes," he said. (22:28)

Skenes tallied a stellar rookie campaign in 23 starts. He recorded 11 wins with five losses and posted an ERA of 1.96 with 170 strikeouts in 133 innings pitched.

Perhaps the most unforgettable moment for the Pirates rookie came in his second start on May 17 against the Chicago Cubs. The fireball-throwing rookie pitched six spotless innings and fanned 11 Cubs batters before being pulled out of the game.

Ben Verlander expressed frustration with Paul Skenes' doubters

Continuing on his podcast, media personality and MLB analyst Ben Verlander shielded Paul Skenes from the latter's doubters. Many have shared their doubts and concerns about Skenes' sustainability regarding pitching. This is because his fastball often reaches around 100 miles an hour, which could be a bad case of wear and tear in the long run for the young stud.

"This frustrates me a lot," Ben Verlander said. "When a lot of people talk about Skenes, one of the first things that they'll mention is that an injury is coming. [They're saying] that he's going to get hurt, that he's getting Tommy John [surgery]. That pisses me off so much.

It's almost like they're rooting for rooting for that to happen. Well, Tommy John is not just because somebody is throwing 100 miles an hour. It's also about mechanics."

Verlander also highlighted that Tommy John surgeries often happen to players with unusual mechanics. He said Skenes' clean and repeatable delivery makes it look easy for him to deliver a pitch.