3 Detroit Tigers who can pick up where Miguel Cabrera left off as face of franchise

An era in Detroit Tigers baseball came to a conclusion on Sunday as Tigers fans said goodbye to Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera was the last player connected to the “golden era” of Tigers baseball, in which they saw four division titles, three ALCS appearances and one trip to the World Series.

Since 2015, the Tigers have been working to establish a young core of players as the foundation for a competitive franchise. Initially, they pursued this goal through trades, swapping veterans like Yoenis Cespedes, J.D. Martinez, Justin Verlander, and Justin Upton for prospects. While the trade of Cespedes yielded Michael Fulmer and Matthew Boyd, who have made notable contributions, the returns on the rest of the players from this list have been minimal.

From the draft side of things, Detroit has seen very little until recently on returns. It made the rebuilding process rather frustrating to watch for Tigers fans. But over the last few seasons, thanks to figures like Ryan Garko, the Vice President of Player Development, Gabe Rivas and others, Detroit has started to develop players from the later rounds, something they haven't been able to do before.

With contributions from outfielder Kerry Carpenter, and maximizing pitchers like Beau Brieske, Reese Olson and Sawyer Gipson-Long, Detroit has built out a young core that could compete for a playoff spot in 2024.

So of this young core of players that Detroit has, who will be the next face of Detroit Tigers baseball? Let's take a look at three candidates.

Detroit Tigers who can pick up where Miguel Cabrera left off: No. 3 Tarik Skubal

Since returning from flexor tendon surgery in July, Skubal has been one of the best pitchers in the American League, leading all pitchers in fWAR at 3.3 and an FIP of 2.00. In seven of his 15 starts this season, he held teams without scoring a run.

The 9th-round draft pick from the 2018 draft, Tarik Skubal, stands as one of the Tigers' most successful development stories. Alongside Casey Mize and Matt Manning, Skubal is considered part of the future core of the rotation. While all three pitchers have experienced injury setbacks, Skubal has emerged as a dominant force whenever he's taken the mound over the past two seasons.

But as Mize and Manning continue to work their way back, Skubal continues not only as a staff ace but one of the best pitchers in baseball. Detroit has not had a dominant lefty in their rotation since Mickey Lolich in the late 60s and early 70s, which makes this unique. If he continues to get national attention, he could make the case to be the face of the franchise.