Paul Skenes has an extremely bright future ahead of him. The 21-year-old was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates first overall in the 2023 MLB Draft. Skenes is currently ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect in baseball according to MLB.com, trailing only Jackson Chourio of the Milwaukee Brewers and Jackson Holliday of the Baltimore Orioles.
Skenes faced Holliday, who is the No. 1 overall prospect, on Thursday and got him to ground out. So with Skenes off to a strong start in spring training, it will be interesting to see if Pittsburgh gives him a realistic chance to make the Opening Day roster.
Right now, Pittsburgh wants Skenes to continue to develop in spring training. Skenes understands that opposing hitters will be doing extra scouting before facing him, so he needs to be prepared to make adjustments on the mound.
“That's going to be a learning process for me, figuring out how to pitch to hitters as they figure out more about me,” Skenes said Thursday, via Jake Rill of MLB.com. “Because I'm going to face those guys a lot over the years, so I'm really looking forward to that.”
There were rumors about Skenes possibly receiving a big league promotion after getting drafted in 2023. He ended up not receiving the call, but Skenes might just be big league ready now.
Is Paul Skenes ready to roll?
The Pirates obviously want their top prospect to be ready before calling him up to the major leagues. That is understandable. Additionally, Pittsburgh does not necessarily need to promote him to begin the 2024 season.
From a pitching standpoint, Skenes may already be prepared to join the Pirates' MLB rotation, though. He leans on an electric fastball that can touch 102 MPH. Skenes has also developed a slider that looks like his fastball coming out of his hand but darts glove-side.
Skenes also throws a change up that is still developing. Adding another pitch wouldn't be a bad idea, and he still is learning how to control all of his pitches.
MLB.com lists Skenes' MLB ETA as 2024. It isn't common that a player is expected to make their MLB debut just one year after being drafted. In all reality, Skenes looked ready for The Show during his college days at LSU.
Why would the Pirates make Skenes part of their Opening Day rotation?
Pittsburgh started the 2023 season strong before struggling as the campaign continued. This is a team with an outside chance of competing in 2024.
The offense is anchored by Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz, Ke'Bryan Hayes, Rowdy Tellez, and former MVP Andrew McCutchen. Cruz has one of the highest-ceilings in the sport, and might have enjoyed a breakout 2023 season if it wasn't for an injury. Meanwhile, Henry Davis is another young player with potential.
The Pirates recently agreed to a contract extension with Mitch Keller, who made his first All-Star team in 2023. Martin Perez, Marco Gonzales, and Bailey Falter are other rotation options. If the Pirates wanted to give Skenes a spot in the rotation, there would be one available, though.
Pittsburgh features one of the nicest baseball stadiums in the entire country. Yet, their mediocrity over the years has frustrated fans. The Pirates have not reached the postseason since 2015. They also made the playoffs in 2014 and 2013, but hadn't seen postseason action prior to those years since 1992.
Now is the time to go all in and give the fans something to be excited about. Paul Skenes has a legitimate opportunity to become a National League Cy Young contender someday. Sure, keeping him in the minor leagues would help his progression, but if he continues to impress then giving him a chance to make the MLB roster out of spring training should not be out of the question.
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