Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes is in his first year in Major League Baseball, but he's already thinking about life after the big leagues. Skenes is hoping to work in the military after he's done pitching, per USA Today.
“Just being able to give back,” Skenes said, per USA TODAY Sports. “An easy one would be coaching at the Air Force Academy and developing there. So that’s kind of a dream of mine.”
Skenes spent some time at the Air Force Academy before transferring to LSU baseball. He finished his college career at LSU, before getting drafted no. 1 overall by the Pirates in the 2023 MLB Draft. Skenes learned a lot from his experience at Air Force, he said.
“I’ll never forget where I came from,” the pitcher added. “I’ll never forget what the Academy did for me. I owe everything to them.’’
Skenes is the starter for the National League All-Star team, in the MLB All-Star game Tuesday. He is having an excellent season with the Pirates, helping guide the team to a 48-48 overall record at the All-Star Break.
Paul Skenes is on-fire for the Pirates
Skenes has been one of the biggest stories in Major League Baseball this season. He's striking out batters at a rapid pace, in 11 outings for the Bucs. Skenes holds a 6-0 record, with a 1.90 ERA. He's posted 89 strikeouts in a little more than 66 total innings of work.
Skenes' arm is helping Pittsburgh to a .500 record going into the All-Star Break. The Pirates surged in recent days, sweeping the Chicago White Sox and also winning seven of their last 10 games. The Pirates find themselves contending for a spot in the National League playoffs with the July 30 trade deadline fast approaching.
Skenes quickly became the ace of the Pirates rotation. He is pairing beautifully with Mitch Keller, shaping out a strong pitching staff for the Pirates. Pirates fans are anxious to see if Skenes can continue his marvelous production in the back end of the season. The Pirates have long struggled, with just a handful of playoffs appearances since 1992.
The hurler has years ahead of him in baseball, but it is remarkable to see him mapping out his long-term future. Skenes shows a great deal of respect for the military, and military service. He says going to Air Force out of high school was a no-brainer for him.
“It’s exciting to be kind of labeled as an Air Force guy because that’s part of my background…” Skenes added. “I think it's important to bring as many eyes as possible to the academies. In my recruiting class at the Air Force Academy, I think I might have been the only one that sought out the Air Force Academy. Everybody else got recruited and kind of had to be convinced, or explained to them what the Air Force Academy is and what it's all about, which tells me that people don't know about it as much as they should.”
The All-Star game starts Tuesday at 8:00 Eastern.
Follow Us
Subscribe
