Paul Skenes See Big Future for Pirates
Individually, Paul Skenes couldn't have had a better rookie season for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The 2023 No. 1 overall pick was one of the few bright spots, breaking multiple records for the Pirates and across Major League Baseball. As a team, though, plenty was left to be desired.
At 74-85, the Pirates are set to finish under .500 for the sixth straight season, finish in fourth or fifth place in the National League Central for an eighth straight year and miss the postseason for the ninth consecutive season. Skenes expects those struggles to stop in 2025.
“We’re going to be better next year,” Skenes told the Associated Press. “We’re going to win a lot more games next year. So just keep coming.”
If Pittsburgh is going to take the next step, Skenes will likely be at the centerpiece of their improvement. The flamethrowing 6-foot-6 right-hander is 11-3 with a 1.99 ERA and has struck out 167 batters, shattering the previous record for a Pirates rookie pitcher. Skenes is the first pitcher in MLB history to have an ERA under 2.20 and over 150 strikeouts through 21 starts in MLB history and the first pitcher since 1913 to have an ERA under 2.00 through 22 appearances.
Skenes is still on the ledger for one more start this season, which will come on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. ET when the Pirates face the American League East champion New York Yankees (93-66) in the second of a three-game series.
In 2025, Pittsburgh will have Skenes for a full season after he wasn't called up until early May this year. Along with Skenes being in the big leagues for the entirety of a 162-game season, he expects many of the restrictions placed upon him should be gone, which should give the Pirates a boost every fifth day.
"Next year, it’s hopefully just going to be ‘Take the ball and pitch,” Skenes said. “So I’m looking forward to that.”
The Pirates (74-85) begin their final series of the 2024 season on Friday when they face the Yankees at 7:05 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium.
