Paul Skenes Bright Spot in Lackluster Pirates Season
In a season that was filled with ups and downs, Paul Skenes' historic first season en route to winning the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year.
Skenes' rookie season helped carry the Pirates' overall grade for 2024. Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer graded every team's performance in 2024 from the regular season into the offseason and gave the Pirates a C.
"The Pirates may have finished in last place, but this year was the best thing to happen to them since their last playoff run in 2015," Rymer writes. "This is because Paul Skenes happened. His 1.96 ERA wasn't merely the best of any starter after he debuted on May 11, but it also marks the first time a live-ball era rookie starter has finished with an ERA under 2.00."
Skenes went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts and set a Pirates franchise record for a rookie with 170 strikeouts over 133 innings pitched. He was also the first pitcher in MLB history to have an ERA below 2.20 and over 150 strikeouts in their first 21 games and the second pitcher since 1913 to have an ERA below 2.00 through their first 22 appearances.
Along with Skenes, the Pirates' starting pitching will likely be the team's biggest strength if Mitch Keller and Jared Jones can build on their success from last season. They also may be joined by top prospect Bubba Chandler, who is MLB Pipeline's No. 15 overall prospect after a stellar 2024 season across Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis.
But for as good as the Pirates' starting pitching could be in 2025, none of it will matter if the offense doesn't improve after being in the bottom 10 in nearly every major stat. While the addition of first baseman Spencer Horwitz figures to help if his production can last over a whole season's worth of at-bats, Pittsburgh's improvement at the plate will lean heavily on the growth of its young players.
And if the Pirates' young position players can't take the next step at the plate, they could be facing another lost season in 2025 and waste another year with one of the best pitchers and starting rotations in baseball.
"What the Pirates really need is an offense that can break free from an eight-season run as one of the five lowest-scoring teams in the NL," Rymer writes. "To this end, it's frustrating that the team seems content to let it ride with what's not working."
