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The Pittsburgh Pirates are not doing very well in the 2025 MLB regular season, but that doesn't mean they don't have must-watch talents. For one, they have one of the best hurlers in the game today in the form of Paul Skenes, who has as many seasons in the big leagues as MLB All-Star nods.
The former LSU Tigers star has been selected for his second MLB All-Star Game, which means there's a chance that he could also be starting for the second year in a row for the National League squad.
With Clayton Kershaw getting the special commissioner's selection to get a spot in the 2025 MLB All-Star Game and Los Angeles Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts set to manage the contest, there's a good reason to believe that the three-time Cy Young winner could start for the NL. That being said, Skenes expressed his readiness and willingness to toe the rubber first if given the call.
“I think it would be stupid to say no to that. It's a pretty cool opportunity,” Skenes said about his potential to be asked to start (h/t David Schoenfield of ESPN). “I didn't make plans over the All-Star break or anything. So, yeah, I'm super stoked.”
Paul Skenes is the only representative of the Pirates at the All-Star Game, which he deserves. He has been a bright spot on an otherwise lethargic Pittsburgh squad that has won just 38 games and lost 53 through Sunday. Although he is only 4-7 in 19 starts, that record unfairly paints how incredible he has been on the mound for Pittsburgh.
On the season, he has a 1.94 ERA to go along with a 0.92WHIP and a total of 125 strikeouts. Run support has been hard to come by for Skenes, who is scheduled to have one more start before the break, which will be in the second game of a three-leg set on the road versus the Minnesota Twins this coming Saturday.
In the 2024 All-Star Game, Skenes, the first overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft, started for the NL, allowing zero runs and issuing a walk with no strikeouts through 16 pitches in a 5-3 loss to the American League side.
