The Pittsburgh Pirates had high hopes for right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes after selecting him first overall in the 2023 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft. He’s living up to the hype through his first four starts.
ESPN MLB writer Jeff Passan shared that through 22 innings, Skenes has surrendered only two runs (both home runs) out of 15 hits. His 30 strikeouts dwarf the five walks he allowed. More importantly, he has a 2-0 record with a 2.45 ERA and a 0.909 WHIP to start his MLB career. Skenes has a 1.50 ERA and 23 Ks in his last three starts.
Paul Skenes in his last 3 starts:
— MLB (@MLB) May 29, 2024
1.50 ERA, 18 IP, 23 Ks pic.twitter.com/8b2Hmq2Lcu
Baseball Reference reveals that the former Louisiana State University standout allows .195/.250/.286 against batters. Of all the plate appearances against him, 35.7 percent resulted in strikeouts, while only six percent were walks.
He gave up three hits and two earned runs in six innings in his latest start. It was enough to preserve the Pirates’ 10-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers. In addition to Skenes’ precision pitching, Andrew McCutchen had three hits, two runs, and four RBIs in four at-bats. Nick Gonzales contributed three hits, two runs, and two RBIs in five at-bats.
Skenes can earn another victory when he retakes the mound by the first week of June, coinciding with their three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
-Lance Fernandez