Pirates Call Up Paul Skenes in Attempt to Jump-Start Season

The top pitching prospect in all of baseball is set to make his MLB debut on Saturday.

Mar 3, 2024; North Port, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) throws a pitch in / Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

Paul Skenes is finally getting the call.

The 21-year-old will make his MLB debut against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, as the Pittsburgh Pirates have finally decided to bring him up. The Bucs have stumbled out of the gate this season; the addition of their top prospect could help jump-start their season.

Pittsburgh made Skenes the No. 1 pick in the draft last July after a dominant season at LSU. He has done nothing to diminish his status as baseball's top pitching prospect since. The right-hander made seven starts for Triple-A Indianapolis and is 0-0 with a 0.99 ERA. In 27 1/3 innings, Skenes has allowed 17 hits, three earned runs and eight walks while striking out 45 batters. He sports a minuscule WHIP of 0.92 and is averaging 14.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

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— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 8, 2024

The Pirates entered Wednesday with a 17–21 record, sitting five and a half games out of first place in the National League Central. Their starting rotation has been solid to begin the season, boasting an ERA of 3.64, which ranks 10th in baseball. As a staff, the Pirates are 11th in ERA (3.70) and eighth in WHIP (1.20). Skenes should only make those numbers better.

Offense is really where the Pirates are deficient. Their OPS (.634) ranks 28th in baseball, while they're 29th in slugging (.331), 22nd in on-base percentage (.303), 26th in batting average (.221), 27th in home runs (27) and 26th in runs scored (130). They need tons of help on that side of things.

Despite the team's woeful offense, Pittsburgh should get a huge boost from Skenes. His first outing arguably will be the most-anticipated pitching debut since the Washington Nationals called up Stephen Strasburg on June 8, 2010.

At 6'6" and 235 pounds, Skenes is a classic power pitcher. His fastball is electric and can hit 102 mph, while his upper-80s slider is likely the best secondary pitch in the minors right now. He also features a low-90s changeup that is only improving. He's an intimidating figure on the mound and that should carry to the big leagues.

Paul Skenes is finally coming. The Pirates are hoping he's the piece that turns around their middling start to the season.