Paul Skenes is the best pitching prospect in baseball. The right-hander stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 235 pounds, and has spent this spring taunting minor league hitters before blowing triple-digit heat at them.
It’s time for Skenes to choose stars of his own size.
The No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, Skenes will make his Pittsburgh Pirates debut Saturday at PNC Park, delivering a first pitch at 4:05 p.m. against the Chicago Cubs. Skenes’ arrival marks a significant moment in the Pirates’ rebuild and the franchise’s most anticipated debut since another No. 1 pick, now Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, was called up in 2013.
Skenes’ first start will be one of the must-see moments at the start of this MLB season. So here’s everything about Skenes, from his meteoric rise on the mound to the social media star (and fellow LSU national champion) he’s dating.
Wait, who is he dating?
Good call. Let’s put that aside. Have you heard of Livvy Dunne? What about baby Gronk? Do โBaby Gronk blew Livvy upโ does that remind you of something ?
I wish that wasn’t the case for me either. Suffice it to say, Dunne is a hugely popular social media influencer โ 13 million followers across Instagram and TikTok. She recently finished an accomplished gymnastics career at LSU with a national championship. Dunne’s $3.9 million zero valuation, by On3ranked second among college athletes behind Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders.
But back to her boyfriend: Dunne is dating the Velo King, not the Drip King.
Livvy Dunne’s reaction to Paul Skenes’ call-up to the Pirates ๐ฅนโค๏ธ pic.twitter.com/cXbBWnqEV3
โ MLB (@MLB) May 9, 2024
What did Skenes do in college?
After playing at El Toro High School in Lake Forest, California, Skenes (a Los Angeles Angels fan at heart) chose the Air Force Academy because he wanted to play ball. And be a fighter pilot. Few schools offer both opportunities.
At the time, Skenes was a catcher. He hit .410/.486/.697 as a freshman in Air Force and also filled in for the team as it got closer. He entered the rotation as a sophomore and started to look like a true two-way star. Skenes transferred to LSU and settled in as a full-time pitcher. The LSU lineup, led by outfielder Dylan Crews โ who many thought would be the No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft โ didn’t need another bat as much as Skenes’ golden right arm.
With a fastball-slider combo, Skenes breezed through SEC rosters filled with future pro talent. He went 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA and 0.75 WHIP, striking out 209 and walking 20 in 122 2/3 innings. He set the SEC single-season strikeout record, which previously belonged to LSU’s Ben McDonald, who was drafted No. 1 by Baltimore in 1989 and made his debut later that same season .
Paul Skenes’ absurd stuff from round 1.
10 consecutive Fastballs over 100 mph (T102mph) and a Wicked Slider. ๐คข pic.twitter.com/vjOqDbhlZD
โ Rob Friedman (@PichingNinja) March 31, 2023
The Tigers dominated Florida for the national title and Skenes was named College World Series MVP.
The Pirates, after winning the MLB draft lottery, chose Skenes over Crews, who went No. 2 to the Nationals. Skenes signed for a record $9.2 million bonus.
How did Skenes fare in the minors?
Let’s put it this way. He made headlines when he gave up his first home run.
Indeed, Skenes dominated. The mustachioed right-hander had a 0.99 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in seven starts for Triple-A Indianapolis this spring, striking out 45 and walking eight in 27 1/3 innings.
Paul Skenes made minor league hitters look stupid. ๐ฎโ๐จ pic.twitter.com/0ucCxeCAT5
โ MLB (@MLB) May 8, 2024
The Pirates chose to take him slowly, which brings us to another question you might be wondering: Why wasn’t Skenes in the majors sooner? It’s a good question. Skenes was undoubtedly one of the top five starting pitchers in the organization from the moment he signed last summer. But given that Skenes had endured a long college season, pitching 122 2/3 innings for LSU, the fourth-ranked Pirates only had him pitch 6 2/3 more before shutting him down last September.
They allowed Skenes to return to a regular workload this spring, with the hope that a slow and steady approach could mitigate his injury risks at a time when everyone is dealing with arm injuries. Skenes pitched twice for the big league club in spring training, then slowly increased his pitch count over the last month and a half with Indianapolis, going from 44 pitches to 75.
It’s hard to argue against a cautious approach. It’s also worth mentioning that the plan guaranteed that Skenes, who turns 22 later this month, would not receive a full year of MLB service in 2024.
What does Skenes throw?
Athleticism‘s Keith Law wrote a detailed explanation, but the gist is that Skenes’ primary pitch is a four-seam fastball – regularly clocked at over 100 mph – but his secondaries are even more important.
Scene Survived excelled in college throwing almost exclusively fastballs and sliders that hurt your stomach. Since then, he has diversified his arsenal. There’s a mixed changeup against left-handed hitters and an occasional curveball to catch a hitter’s nap. The most interesting addition, however, is a โsplinkerโ โ a spitting-diving hybrid. He features the type of mid-90s velocity that many pitchers peak at and combines it with a decent amount of drop.
Skenes couldn’t show the Cubs on Saturday a pitch they’ve never seen before. But the combination of his offerings, when commanded well, will make hitters nauseous.
How does Skenes factor into the Pirates’ plans?
Well, he is the centerpiece.
For years, the Pirates refused to spend and struggled to recruit and develop like top organizations. Their problems over the past nine seasons have usually been related to one or both of these issues. But what if, at the end of this reconstruction, they succeeded? What if they built a formation capable of doing damage? What if Termarr Johnson was an All-Star? What if Henry Davis found him? What if Ke’Bryan Hayes clicks? What if Jared Jones was just the beginning, and after him came Skenes, Mike Burrows, Anthony Solometo, Bubba Chandler and Thomas Harrington?
This is all within the range of results.
But to get there, we have to start with this question: what if Skenes was an ace?
Having Skenes start alongside 2023 All-Star Mitch Keller and (2024 All-Star?) Jones, all of whom are under club control until at least 2028, lays the foundation on which the franchise can build its next playoff contender. So many things can go wrong, especially with pitchers and their arm health. But on the weekend Skenes arrives, it’s best to consider everything that could possibly go wrong.
(Top photo: Christopher Pasatieri / Getty Images)