Clemente nominee Skubal proud to offer aid to at-risk women

This story was excerpted from Jason Beck’s Tigers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The Tigers have a history of star players making an impact in the community to match their efforts on the diamond. In 1973, the year the Commissioner's Award was renamed the Roberto Clemente Award, it was won by Hall of Famer Al Kaline. Justin Verlander was a Tigers nominee during his Detroit tenure for his work with veterans. Curtis Granderson started a career of giving back in Detroit during his Tigers tenure with his Grand Kids Foundation, and he won the Roberto Clemente Award in 2016 while with the Mets. Miguel Cabrera was a perennial nominee as a Tiger for his work to renovate ballfields for kids and help out families during the pandemic.

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No surprise, then, that Tarik Skubal's emergence as one of the new faces of the Tigers, a potential pitching Triple Crown winner and the American League Cy Young favorite has seen him make his own impact in Detroit for a cause that’s important to him and his family. His work to help domestic violence survivors and at-risk women earned him the Tigers’ nomination for this year’s Clemente Award.

Voting for the league-wide award runs through Sunday, Sept. 29, at MLBTogether.com/clementeaward. The fan vote, along with votes cast by members of a blue-ribbon panel, will determine the winner, to be announced during the World Series.

Skubal is the first Tigers nominee besides Cabrera in several years. It’s not an honor he takes lightly.

“A lot of people have made sacrifices for me in my life to get me in this position,” Skubal said. “To be able to give back in any capacity is important, and to me, it's just the beginning. I look forward to getting more involved in this community and give back and make an impact that can be sustainable.”

That’s part of what led Skubal and his wife Jessica to focus their efforts to support Alternatives for Girls, a nonprofit organization that seeks to empower homeless and at-risk young women by providing critical interventions and support. The Skubals donated generously to help support domestic violence survivors through Alternatives for Girls’ new housing development, Dr. Maya Angelou Village, which opened this summer.

The Skubals’ donation covers the cost of all essential household supplies, from bedding to cleaning to pots and pans, for the 23 units in the village dedicated to Alternatives for Girls.

Remember the Skubal Snack Burger during last month’s Players' Weekend celebration at Comerica Park? The Tigers donated a portion of the sales from that to Alternatives for Girls as well.

The cause hits close to home for Tarik and Jessica.

“She was raised by a single mom, so she understands more than I do the grind and day-to-day stuff,” Skubal said. “That's what led to that partnership. It's something I'm also passionate about. I want to take care of people, and I'm in a very fortunate spot, so to be able to give back in any capacity is what I want to do.

“That's also why Alternatives for Girls is important. It's more than just to get on your feet for a day. It can help people turn their lives around. That's why that foundation made sense.”

Skubal visited the village shortly after it opened and met a family as they were moving in.

“That’s really special,” Skubal said. “The lady had a daughter, and to see her ripping around and having fun, I got to interact and play with her for 15 minutes. I don’t know if they even know how much of an impact that made on me. Stuff like this really helps.”