A small-market baseball team that has missed the playoffs in eight straight seasons and is currently below .500 does not generally receive much national coverage. And yet, the Pittsburgh Pirates (26-30) are gaining some precious exposure on ESPN's “The Pat McAfee Show,” courtesy of their two most prized pitching prospects, Paul Skenes and Jared Jones.
The right-handed flamethrowers, or “Hundo Boys” as people call them, discussed their respective transitions to the MLB on Friday. Both starters are enjoying standout rookie campaigns, giving Pittsburgh hope that true pride is on the verge of being restored to PNC Park.
Skenes has particularly captured the imagination of the baseball-watching world, displaying a terrifying combination of velocity and movement on the mound. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft is 2-0 with a stellar 2.45 ERA and 30 strikeouts through just 22 innings of work. He is thoroughly impressing those around him, including Jones, who is enamored with Skenes' signature pitch.
Jared Jones gushes about the ‘splinker'
“I'd definitely say we're learning from each other,” the former second-rounder told Pat McAfee and company. “Just going out there, I'm sure he takes notes when I throw and I do the exact same thing when he throws. Obviously, he's a lot of fun to watch when he does throw. I told him ‘I'm training with you the whole offseason to learn that splinker you're throwing.'”
Skenes' “splinker” is severely befuddling hitters in the early stages of his big league career. An embarrassing highlight reel of off-balance swings is quickly filling up, with more doomed to join his list of strikeout victims. For the fans who detest the words “sweeper” or “slurve,” they will instead just call this a sinker. But Jones explains why Skenes' iteration deserves to be in a classification of its own.
“It's 95 {mph} and has movement I've never seen on a sinker, so it's pretty gross,” he said. “He was telling me how he throws it and stuff like that, so a lot of stuff to work on there.”
If the mustached purveyor of mayhem can teach his fellow rising star this lethal splinker, then the Pirates could soon boast the most unstoppable one-two punch of any rotation in baseball. Although Paul Skenes and Jared Jones still have plenty of development to undergo, the restoration date for Pirates baseball is quickly approaching.
Heck, it may even come this year.
Skenes, Jones can help Pirates compete in 2024
Before the 2024 season commenced, the National League Central looked to be a pure free-for-all. Pittsburgh, the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds all ooze an impressive amount of potential, while the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs are led by former MVPs and All-Star caliber talents. Milwaukee holds a five-game lead right now, but this division could still prove volatile in the months to come.
Assuming the Pirates hover within a five to seven-game deficit for the next several weeks, they might start to come of age in the heart of summer. Preserving the long-term health of premium young starting pitchers is a primary concern in most organizations, so Skenes and Jones will probably not be allowed to serve an old-fashioned workhorse role, but if they stay sharp down the stretch, will either the front office or manager Derek Shelton have the nerve to step on the brakes?
While Paul Skenes' prowess is well-documented, Jared Jones' productivity has gone more undetected by a casual audience. Aside from a rough outing in his last time out against the Detroit Tigers, the California native is cruising through his inaugural campaign. He is posting a 3.55 ERA, 70 K's and a 1.01 WHIP in 11 starts.
Jones threw a seven-inning one-hitter versus the Colorado Rockies in the beginning of May, and Skenes had a no-hitter going versus the Chicago Cubs two weeks ago before being removed from the game due to a high pitch count. Simply put, the future is now.
With the benefit of pushing one another and collaborating, this pair of 22-year-olds should ensure that Pittsburgh is swiftly reestablished as a baseball hot spot. ESPN might have no choice but to keep showcasing them and this hopeful franchise.
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