Paul Skenes Predicts Another Pirates Rookie of the Year Award
Paul Skenes may be the tip of the iceberg for the Pittsburgh Pirates and what they have lying ahead with the pitching in their farm system.
The Pirates boast three top 100 pitching prospects in MLB Pipeline's rankings with a trio of right-handed pitchers; Bubba Chandler (15), Braxton Ashcraft (85) and Thomas Harrington. With all three reaching Triple-A and Hunter Barco also being a top-10 prospect for the Pirates, Skenes noted Pittsburgh may also have a shot to have another Rookie of the Year and specifically singled out Chandler as the one who could be next in line.
"I think that’s a very good possibility," Skenes said. "I don’t know exactly who it is. Obviously, Bubba [Chandler] is probably the one that’s on deck. But Braxton [Ashcraft] and Thomas [Harrington], Hunter Barco, all those guys, and I know I’m leaving some guys out too, but we have a lot of talent that’s coming up through the system."
Pittsburgh is the only team to have three pitchers ranked in MLB Pipeline's top-100 rankings.
Chandler is the clear favorite if any player on the Pirates is going to win a second straight National League Rookie of the Year. The hard-throwing right-handed prospect was electric upon arriving in Triple-A, going 4-0 with a 1.83 across seven starts and he finished the year 10-7 with a 3.08 ERA over his 26 appearances last season.
No team can ever have too much pitching, and with the trio of Chandler, Ashcraft and Harrington, Pittsburgh is poised to have one of the best pitching staffs for years to come if they come up to the big leagues and all live up to expectations. Skenes said they've all already gotten together this offseason, which could be a sign of things to come for Pittsburgh in 2025.
"We’ve already gotten around each other this offseason," Skenes said. "We’re starting to build a foundation for next year, with the young guys that are coming up. So, just looking forward to that, watching them and hopefully being a part of their journey.”
