Tarik Skubal's influence drives Tigers' new wave of pitching

The Detroit Tigers are getting it done with their young starters, and Reese Olson is much of that success story. Resse Olson is doing what Tarik Skubal has done, and that's been one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball due to his quality changeup. Now, Reese Olson is applying his changeup to bully hitters. The fans are beginning to realize how critical the pitch can be when employed correctly. Let us examine the journey of Olson this season.

Tarik Skubal sets powerful example for Tigers' young pitchersTarik Skubal's changeup has been labelled as one of baseball's best pitches. It plays perfectly off his fastball and makes hitters guess. Now, Reese Olson is accomplishing something almost the same. Before his fifth outing of the season, Resse Olson was posting a 47.5% whiff rate on his changeup.

This is nearly half the time that a hitter swung at it, and they whiffed. Hitters were struggling miserably with that pitch.

Baseball columnist Michael Salfino argued that if Resse Olson threw the changeup even more frequently, Resse Olson could be an even more improved pitcher. During the game against the San Diego Padres, Reese Olson appeared to have listened.

He threw his changeup 26 times out of his 85 pitches, even more than he threw his sinker, 25 times. That's quite a change, indicating that he is beginning to trust his off-speed pitch even more.

And it paid off. Reese Olson recorded nine of his 17 overall swings and misses on the changeup. Batters hardly made solid contact when he threw it. None of the hits he conceded were off the changeup, they were all off his sinker instead.
Reese Olson's Strong season is a good sign for Tigers Reese Olson's dominating performance against San Diego wasn't an isolated occurrence. He's been throwing superbly since opening day. So far, Reese Olson has worked 27.1 innings with a 3.29 ERA and 25 Ks. Since April 11 against the Minnesota Twins, he hasn't given up a run. That's nearly three straight weeks without yielding a run.

Tarik Skubal joined rare company in @Tigers history 🐅

(MLB x @SageUSAmerica) pic.twitter.com/iaomnMhO4p

— MLB (@MLB) April 28, 2025

One of the large reasons that he has been so successful is how well he controls the game. Even when batters make solid contact, Reese Olson frequently keeps the ball down in the grass. This restricts big blows such as doubles and home runs. It indicates that Reese Olson is not merely getting fortunate, he is pitching intelligently.

If Reese Olson continues to throw his changeup more often, his fastball could become even more difficult for hitters to handle. This would make him an even more dominating piece of the Tigers' rotation. He is young, talented, and developing rapidly. With the Tigers requiring solid arms to be competitive, Reese Olson's development is a very positive indicator for their future.


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