Paul Skenes, Pirates Named 'Winners' for 2024 Season
The ability to draft, sign and develop players is imperative for any franchise, but is of the utmost importance for small-market teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates that opt not to hand out big contracts.
The Pirates struck gold with the emergence of Paul Skenes, who was nothing short of historic in his rookie season. Because of his stellar first season in the big leagues, Bleacher Report listed Skenes, the Pirates and other small-market teams with stellar young players to build around as winners for the 2024 season.
"Paul Skenes didn't even make his MLB debut until May 11, less than one year after being selected No. 1 overall in the 2023 draft," Bleacher Report writes. "Yet, he immediately became a sensation, starting the All-Star Game for the National League after just 66.1 career innings pitched."
Skenes was nothing short of spectacular, going 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA and struck out 170 batters over 133 innings pitched. His 170 strikeouts blew past the Pirates' previous rookie record of 142 strikeouts, which was set by Cy Blanton in 1935.
The 2023 first-round pick was the second pitcher in MLB history to have an ERA below 2.00 through 22 career appearances since 1913 and the first to have an ERA under 2.20 and over 150 strikeouts through 21 appearances.
The hard-throwing right-hander was also the first rookie to start an All-Star game since Hideo Nomo in 1995.
"And while he didn't come close to logging enough innings to qualify for an ERA title, Skenes did become the first pitcher in an age-24 or younger season (he's only 22) to log at least 130 innings pitched with a sub-2.00 ERA since Dwight Gooden's historic dominance as a 20-year-old in 1985," Bleacher Report wrote.
While many of the game's elite young players are position players like Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., Pittsburgh already has a bonafide ace in Skenes. If he can continue to build on his stellar season, Skenes will go from an elite young pitcher to one of, if not the best in baseball.
