If you don’t know the name Paul Skenes, you soon will. He’s the number-one pitching prospect in baseball. The Pittsburgh Pirates called him up this week, and he will start his first major league game Saturday against the Chicago Cubs at 4:05 p.m. EDT. Even if you’re not a Pirates fan, this is a game you’ll want to watch.
21-year-old Paul Skenes is a big man with a big arm. He stands six feet six inches tall, weighs 235 pounds, and can paint the corners at more than 100 mph consistently. Skenes was the number-one pick in the 2023 draft after winning the College World Series for Louisiana State University.
Skenes was Dominant in College and AAA
The Skenes hype is huge. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review columnist Mark Madden wrote, “Skenes’ arrival feels like Day 1 for the Pirates. A re-set. A new beginning for a crappy franchise.” Nothing much is different so far this year in Pittsburgh. The Pirates have scored runs in just eight of their last 89 innings.
Paul Skenes’ debut is being compared to that of Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg, and Gerrit Cole. Before you see his numbers, know that Skenes is smart; he went to the Air Force Academy because he wanted to be a fighter pilot and a baseball player.
As a freshman at Air Force, he was a catcher and filled in as the team’s closer. He hit .410 that season and entered the Falcons’ rotation in his sophomore season before transferring to LSU.
In his final season at LSU, the right-hander went 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA and a 0.750 WHIP. He gave up just 57 earned runs in three full college seasons and had 335 strikeouts.
Nothing changed when he turned pro. He put up a 0.99 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in seven starts in Triple-A this season. He stuck out 45 and gave up only three earned runs in 27.1 innings.
He will debut fastest by a number-one pick in the last three decades. The last was Baltimore Oriole and LSU standout Ben McDonald, who made his major league debut in 1989, the same year he was drafted.
The Skenes Scouting Report
The Major League Baseball website says Skenes is “The most anticipated pitching prospect of his generation.” So, what will batters see when he takes the mound Saturday afternoon?
His fastball is legendary. He threw nearly two hundred of them in the minors this season and averaged 99.9 MPH. He frequently touches 102 mph. “Just being strong and moving efficiently,” Skenes said. “It’s not magic. It works for me. Other guys do it differently. But that’s my bread and butter — being strong and moving efficiently.”
It’s not just the heat. He’s got a long list of knockout pitches: a slider, curve, changeup, and a pitch Pittsburgh Pirates‘ coaches call a ‘splinker’—the combination of his spilt-finger fastball and a sinker.
Mom and Dad Will be at the Game
Craig and Karen Skenes are in Pittsburgh for the game on Saturday afternoon. His dad told a Pittsburgh reporter nothing their son does shocks them anymore.
“There’s a lot of surprise that it’s happened so quickly,” Craig said. “But the end result, I don’t think we’re too surprised about, especially what he’s done over the past couple of years.
“If you would have asked me this ten years ago, yeah, this would be a huge surprise.”
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Bradley Tachco is a career journalist. I spent 12+ years at CNN as a writer and producer. My sports are the NHL, MLB, and NFL. My goal: unique content. And my teams are the Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bills (yes, I’m a masochist), and the Los Angeles Dodgers. I have been a Dodgers fan since I was old enough to think. I have gone through decades of despair with all three franchises. You can follow Bradley on X @p09691
