ESPN ranks two Tigers player higher than Tarik Skubal for 2026 season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Detroit Tigers made the massive decision this season to trade away Tarik Skubal, sending him to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a prospect package of Brady Smith, River Ryan, and Zyhir Hope.
They shipped out their back-to-back Cy Young winner, and in most cases, that'd mean giving up their best player. But for the Tigers, they actually have two players who might be better than Skubal.
ESPN ranked the top-50 players for the 2026 MLB season, and the Tigers had a few players make the list. While Skubal did get ranked, ESPN has both Dillon Dingler and Kevin McGonigle as higher-ranked players this season than Skubal.
Tigers have two players higher-ranked than Tarik Skubal, per ESPN
Coming in at No. 13 on this ranking is Dingler, the team's breakout catcher. It's been an incredible year for Dingler, and ESPN ranks him as the 13th-best player in baseball.
Just two spots down the list is breakout rookie Kevin McGonigle, the shortstop who's taken MLB by storm in his debut season.
He's the clear AL Rookie of the Year frontrunner, and he will also likely receive some MVP votes, as his 5.6 bWAR is the most by any player in the American League this season.
Having two of the top-15 players in baseball is an incredible accomplishment for the Tigers. Only two other teams achieved such a feat: the Washington Nationals with James Wood and CJ Abrams, and the Atlanta Braves with Chris Sale and Matt Olson.
MORE: Tigers feared Tarik Skubal’s trade market would disappear if they waited too long to trade him
Tigers fans have to look down the ESPN rankings a bit, as Skubal is ranked the 21st-ranked player in MLB this season.
The Tigers don't have another player ranked by ESPN, but having two of the top-15 players, both of whom are ranked at least six spots higher than Skubal, is quite the feat.
If Tigers fans were told they'd trade away Skubal at the deadline, but have two players ranked higher than him, it'd be a hard thing to comprehend.
But that's the reality for Tigers fans this season. They traded Skubal, got a haul, and still managed to keep their best and 2nd-best players. Dingler and McGonigle have been incredible and have been better than Skubal this year.
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