The Pirates are calling up star prospect Paul Skenes, and the hard-throwing right-hander is expected to debut Saturday at PNC Park against the Cubs.
'I have no idea why that has to be a fastball': How a new pitching philosophy is keeping the Red Sox afloatTim Kurkjian breaks down why he believes Paul Skenes is ready to move up to the big leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Considered the best pitching talent in a generation, the 21-year-old Skenes will arrive in Pittsburgh after dominating Triple-A, allowing three earned runs in 27 1/3 innings and striking out 45 batters.
Following one of the finest seasons ever for a college pitcher, Skenes went to the Pirates with the No. 1 overall pick in the July 2023 draft and signed for $9.2 million, the largest bonus for an amateur in baseball history. Pittsburgh limited his workload after a taxing junior season at LSU in which he struck out 209 hitters and walked just 20 in 122 2/3 innings while going 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA.
How to handle elite pitching prospects has long been a mystery for front offices, particularly with the proliferation of arm injuries to hard-throwing starters this season. The two closest facsimiles to Skenes in terms of college production and major league readiness wereright-hander Stephen Strasburg and Chicago Cubs right-hander Mark Prior, both of whom were brilliant for flashes in the big leagues but ultimately had their careers shortened by arm injuries.
At 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds, Skenes assumes the mantle as the hardest-throwing starter in the game -- and perhaps the highest-velocity rotation piece in baseball history. At Triple-A Indianapolis, Skenes' four-seam fastball has reached over 102.1 mph. He also mixed in a splinker -- a combination splitter and sinker thrown by-- at 95 mph, complemented it with a mid-to-high-80s slider, added a softer changeup that runs at 88 mph and occasionally turned to a slower curve.
While the Pirates currently occupy last place in the National League Central, it's more due to their hitting than a strong set of arms. Few starters in the NL have been as impressive as the 22-year-old Jones, and with Skenes joining veterans
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