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Yes, Tarik Skubal is back and throwing well for Detroit, but don’t overlook the impact of getting Troy Melton back in the Tigers’ rotation. Melton, 25, missed the team’s first 53 games with right elbow inflammation. The Tigers are 4–1 in his starts, including a gem Saturday in which he stifled the White Sox on one hit over six innings. Melton improved to 4–0 with a 2.56 ERA.
Melton’s stuff is so elite that had he not been hurt he would have slotted behind Skubal and Framber Valdez as the Tigers’ No. 3 starter to start the season. His path to frontline starter is as odd as it was quick.
Melton grew up in Orange County with a poster of Mike Trout on his bedroom wall. He was a catcher at Canyon High School in Anaheim until getting on the mound his senior year. San Diego State invited him on the team as a preferred walk-on after seeing a bullpen session at a camp. Melton, then 172 pounds, topped out with his fastball at 88 mph.
As a junior at San Diego State, Melton was so underwhelming (6.14 ERA in 15 starts) no team thought he was worth a draft pick. Melton knew something had to change. Inside of one month he revamped how he threw the baseball. He adopted a short-arm style in which his hand never takes the ball below the waist. The improvement was immediate. He posted a 2.07 ERA as a senior. The Tigers drafted him in 2022 in the fourth round—two months after he graduated with a degree in marketing.
By the end of last season Melton was 225 pounds, throwing 99 mph and starting Game 1 of the ALDS. Rarely do you see a pitcher drafted after four years in college ascend to such a level.
Melton’s fastball is a tick down from the 97.1 mph average velocity he showcased last season. But he is leaning more into a much-improved cutter. He threw a career high 27% cutters against the White Sox Saturday. On 69 cutters this year he is holding hitters to a .100 batting average and no extra-base hits.
The keys for Melton’s cutter are getting more on top of the baseball to have it more resemble his four-seamer and throwing it more to right-handed hitters than he did last year.
First, check out the visual difference in how Melton has raised his arm angle on the cutter:
Now check out the enormous difference in metrics and results:
| Melton’s Cutter | Usage | BA | SLG | Arm Angle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 10.8% | .368 | 1.053 | 35.4° |
| 2026 | 13.1% | .100 | .100 | 39.2° |
With Melton and Skubal back in the rotation, the Tigers are poised to make a run and get back into the AL playoff picture. With his gem Saturday, Melton lowered his career ERA to 2.68. It’s the lowest ERA by a Tigers pitcher after 21 games (with at least 75 innings) since Mark “The Bird” Fidrych 50 years ago.
Lowest ERA Through 21 Games, Tigers (min. 75 IP)
| Pitcher | Year | ERA |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mark Fidrych | 1976 | 1.97 |
| 2. Herman Pilette | 1922 | 2.41 |
| 3. Virgil Trucks | 1941–42 | 2.46 |
| 4. Troy Melton | 2025–26 | 2.68 |
