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One of the most incredible rookie seasons for a pitcher in Major League Baseball history is soon ending. Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes will make his final start of the 2024 season this weekend at Yankee Stadium, a chance to showcase his otherworldly talent one last time this year against one of the best teams in baseball.
This historic season didn’t start how Skenes wanted. He thought he did enough to earn a spot on the Pirates' Opening Day roster. He started the year in Triple-A instead, making his MLB debut in mid-May after logging 34 total innings in the minors upon being drafted in July 2023.
Reflecting on the franchise's decision to keep him down for the first month of the season, Skenes said it was the right move.
“I don't know if there can be a perfect plan, but it was just about perfectly put together,” Skenes said, per the Associated Press.
The Pirates strategically dropped in extra rest days for Skenes as he carved his way through major league hitters. He didn't make a single start on less than five days rest. Regardless of whether that was the reason that kept Skenes fresh, it certainly didn’t hurt his progress.
He hopes the training wheels will fully come off next year and he can do what he does best with little to no restrictions.
“Next year, it's hopefully just going to be ‘take the ball and pitch,'” Skenes said. “So I'm looking forward to that.”
Skenes enters his 23rd and final start of his rookie season with an 11-3 record, 1.99 ERA and 0.96 WHIP. He has 167 strikeouts in 131 innings with 15 quality starts.
Skenes ready for full starter's load in 2025
Unlike this season, Paul Skenes should get maximum opportunities to take the mound for the Pirates in 2025. He'll undoubtedly be Pittsburgh's Opening Day starter and could be in line for 30 starts.
While Skenes expects to be able to loosen up a bit more, he understands the Pirates will still want to be cautious with his workload. He and the organization seem to have a great understanding of one another. Skenes knows his role and he's excited about getting more time on the mound.
“That's why I'm here, I'm here to pitch,” he said. “So I want to pitch as much as I can. If you shorten the rest period, you can pitch more as the season goes on. I'm looking forward to that. That's not something that's going to be a complete 180 next year from how it is this year, but there are going to be a bit fewer restrictions on me.”
Skenes' rookie season will end just shy of 140 MLB innings. Maybe that number won’t get to 200 next year, but it's in the best interest of all parties to see Skenes' innings increase in 2025.
That may be dependent on how the Pirates play as a team. Pittsburgh faltered in the second half after flirting with a playoff spot around the All-Star break. That might have factored into the franchise's decision to pull Skenes before he reached 90 pitches in three of his last six starts. He allowed two earned runs across 16 innings in those starts.
Paul Skenes is exactly what the Pirates thought he'd be, probably even more. His best is yet to come and baseball in Pittsburgh is becoming much more enjoyable with a flamethrowing ace at the center of it.
