Pirates' Derek Shelton Praises Paul Skenes' Mindset
There was never a question about Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes' pitching ability heading into his rookie season.
But even with the historic year that Skenes put together en route to winning the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year, his mental fortitude and ability to stay even-keeled were just as impressive for Pirates manager Derek Shelton. Skenes' ability to stay calm and not get rattled was among the best Shelton had ever seen from a player in their rookie season.
"I don't know if I've ever seen a rookie that poised," Shelton said at the Winter Meetings. "I don't know if that goes to how he was brought up [or if] it has to go from the time he spent at Air Force, but it's who he is. He's authentic. There's nothing that he doesn't do that isn't authentic. To see the the lack of emotion, I think right now if you call Paul Skenes, he's ready for the season to start."
Skenes' poise helped pave the way for one of the best seasons by a rookie pitcher in MLB history. He went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts and set a Pirates rookie record with 170 strikeouts over 133 innings pitched. Skenes 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 winning the NL Rookie of the Year, Skenes was a finalist for the NL Cy Young Award and finished in third place. Had he won the award, Skenes would have been the second pitcher in MLB history to accomplish the feat, joining Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Fernando Valenzuela in 1981.
Skenes was also the first rookie pitcher to start an All-Star game since Dodgers right-hander Hideo Nomo in 1995.
But for as good of an individual season Skenes had, Shelton said the 2024 Rookie of the Year's focus is on the team and how they can improve in 2025. With a full season of Skenes, he could potentially lead Pittsburgh to its first postseason berth since 2015 if he can continue his historic start to his career and the rest of the team improves after going 76-86 in back-to-back seasons.
"He has his mindset on we're going to win [and] how we're going to win," Shelton said. "That's what he's thinking about. I know he was excited about winning the award, but he's more of a team first [and] how we're going to get better type of person."
