RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The Detroit Tigers still have a chance of making the MLB playoffs in 2026, whether it be via the American League Wild Card race or the AL Central. There’s a lot of baseball left to be played, and despite their injuries and trades, the Tigers are still very much in the playoff picture. And a portion of the credit should go to their best pitcher so far this season. What’s surprising is that Troy Melton is still on the team.
Well, let’s take a step back. No, it’s not surprising that Melton is still on the Tigers. He’s a young, controllable pitcher who is still in the pre-arbitration stage. The newsworthy piece of things is that Melton has performed better than Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize this season.
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While there was never a world in which the Tigers were going to be able to resign Skubal and Mize, it was also the correct decision to trade them despite being in a postseason race. Having Melton as a building block to their rotation certainly helped as well.
Aug 9, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Troy Melton (52) throws a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images As highlighted by the Detroit Times, Melton has been dominant in his last three starts. Over 20 innings of work, Melton hasn’t allowed a run while scattering just 10 hits and five walks to go with 14 strikeouts.
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On the season, Melton’s ERA sits at a microscopic 1.96. Yes, his xERA is 3.04, but it’s hard to argue with the results. From a statistical perspective, Melton has a .196 BABIP against and an insane 93.9% strand rate. Out of 212 batted ball events, opposing hitters have just a 5.4% barrel rate against Melton with just a 34% hard hit rate.
While we’ve been focused on the trade rumors and subsequent trades of Skubal and Mize, along with the adjustment to Detroit of Framber Valdez, Melton’s success has flown under the radar. Now, it’s time we give him the attention he deserves.
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