Paul Skenes has taken baseball by storm since being brought up to the Pittsburgh Pirates from his minor league assignment in early May. Skenes was at his best in a 1-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers Thursday when he pitched 7.0 no-hit innings before manager Derek Shelton took him out of the game.
The rookie improved to 6-0 with the victory and he has an earned run average of 1.90. He threw 99 pitches against the Brewers and 65 of them were strikes at the time he was removed from the game.
Skenes was named as the National League's starting pitcher in Tuesday's All-Star game. Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo let Skenes know he would have the opening assignment in the game when he was discussing the situation Friday on the Dan Patrick Show. Lovullo asked Skenes if he came out of Thursday's game feeling well, and then he let him know that he would have the ball against the American League's best hitters.
Skenes traveled to Chicago for Pittsburgh's weekend series against the Chicago White Sox. The hard-throwing right-hander won't be pitching against the South Siders, but he has observed White Sox All-Star pitcher Garrett Crochet.
Skenes has been very impressed with Chicago's best starting pitcher. He believes Crochet is a difficult pitcher for hitters to figure out.
“I’m not great at following people around the league but I definitely know what Garrett is doing. It’s fun to watch. He’s unlike any other pitcher I’ve ever seen in terms of how he moves.”
Crochet could be on the move for the White Sox
Skenes explained that there are some similarities to Crochet's approach on the mound to the way he throws, as well as some differences. “I’m a crossfire righty, crossfire low slot righty. He’s a crossfire lefty, but he has something like seven feet of extension and also throws 99 to 100. It’s tough for hitters.”
The White Sox have been buried in the American League Central cellar since early in the 2024 season. They have the worst record in the Major Leagues, and it is expected they will be sellers prior to the trade deadline. Crochet could be their most valuable trade asset.
The 25-year-old Crochet checks in at 6-6 and 245 pounds, and he has been able to intimidate batters with his fastball. He has a 6-6 won-loss record with 2.43 ERA and he has struck out 146 batters in 105.1 innings.
If the White Sox trade Crochet, they would probably be looking for multiple high-level prospects in return. He could clearly be a valuable asset for a contending team during the final two months of the regular season.
On the other hand, Paul Skenes is clearly an untouchable for the Pirates. He was the No. 1 pick in the Major League draft in 2023, and he is already one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball and is clearly the key to Pittsburgh's fight for respectability in the National League Central.
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