The Detroit Tigers have a sneaky prospect in their farm system who is making strides in working his way up the farm system. Kenny Serwa's success gives the Tigers something to look forward to in the near future alongside their current success in 2025.
The Tigers already have their current roster stacked with ace Tarik Skubal who could be on pace to earn another AL Cy Young and include another All-Star nod this season. As well, as former top prospect Jackson Jobe who made his debut in 2024 with the Tigers.
Kenny Serwa's knuckleball stands out
Serwa, 27, sets himself apart from most pitchers with his unicorn status. He started throwing his marquee knuckleball at the age of nine. Now he is notorious for throwing one of the fastest knuckleballs in baseball history. It averages 87 mph while topping at 88.5 mph. He also boasts a slower variant (5 to 10 mph slower) of his knuckleball which he refers to as his "Yoshi" pitch.
His five-pitch mix consists of a four-seam fastball (94 mph), a low-90s sinker, and a low-80s curveball. The knuckleball marvel has pitched for independent professional teams and became a client of Tread Athletics, which is where the development of his craft commenced.
Pro Day Highlights Day 2 of 3
— Ben Brewster (@TreadAthletics) January 11, 2025
Here's Kenny Serwa throwing the world's hardest knuckleball: sitting 87+, touching 88.5 mph.
He also has:
-A 2nd knuckleball in the high 70's/low 80's
-A 94+ mph fourseam
-A low 90's sinker
-A low 80's curve
Check it out: pic.twitter.com/iUmPE8CyLe
In addition, his high-velocity knuckleball gained significant recognition. His knuckleball is known for keeping batters off balance and when it's paired with his four-seam fastball, it creates a nasty duo.
Kenny Serwa is moving up the ranks with the Tigers
The hype with Serwa made it an easy choice for the Tigers to sign the highly-touted prospect during this past offseason in January. Serwa has done a solid job of gaining significant attention with a top-notch performance in May.
A huge shoutout and congratulations to Kenny Serwa for taking the next step on the Road to Detroit!
— West Michigan Whitecaps (@wmwhitecaps) June 5, 2025
He's bringing his killer knuckleball to the @erie_seawolves 💪 pic.twitter.com/vYxYoTQAEN
Following his success, he earned a promotion with the Erie Seawolves on June 5, which demonstrates how he's working his way up the prospect ladder.
This season, he is sporting a 3-1 record with a 2.75 ERA and 34 strikeouts. The right-hander is not even ranked in the top 30 prospects for the Tigers, which makes him that much more intriguing.
Serwa is working his way towards the big leagues and while there is no timetable for when his debut with the Tigers will come, it will likely be in the somewhat near future.
He will need to continue to develop but is in a solid position to reach his full potential with the hardest knuckleball in baseball.