Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said that they met with top prospect Paul Skenes and let him know that he will start the season in the Minor Leagues, but he is going to stay in Major League Camp for at least the foreseeable future, according to Hannah Mears of SportsNet.
Ben Cherington elaborated on the Pirates' plan with Paul Skenes going into this season.
“We're also trying to… put him in a position where he has the best chance possible to help us win games in Pittsburgh as soon as possible,” Cherington said, via Mears.
Skenes also went into the approach moving forward and the benefits of staying in Major League Camp for the foreseeable future with the Pirates.
“Nothing changes,” Cherington said, via Mears. “It just comes down to going out there and pitching well every time. Doing the work I need to in between starts to be ready to do that. Nothing really changes. … It's huge. Just being around the guys and the nice thing about being here and being in the locker room is being around the team. A team that we're going to win a lot of games with hopefully. So that's the goal.”
Skenes will pitch in the Minor Leagues to start the year, and hope to join the Pirates as soon as possible.
When will Paul Skenes make his Pirates debut?
Skenes is viewed as someone who should fly through the Minor Leagues after being taken in the 2023 MLB Draft. It would not be a surprise to see him start in Double-A this season, then quickly move up to the Major League level.
Due to what he displayed with the LSU baseball program, Skenes is viewed as someone who does not need much development. MLB.com's prospect rankings have Skenes' estimated time of arrival as 2024.
Skenes' progress and potential promotion to MLB in 2024 will be one of the storylines to watch for the Pirates.
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