Pirates Superstar Among Most Influential Athletes
Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes continues to receive national recognition amidst his outstanding rookie campaign.
Sports Illustrated included him under the "Athletes" section of their 2024 Power List, which highlighted the 50 most influential figures in sports during the year.
SI's Will Laws, who was tasked with penning Skenes' profile, highlighted the 22-year-old ace's accolades thus far while also prognosticating his future in Pittsburgh.
"The Pirates’ righthander is power personified on the mound," Laws wrote. "Skenes averages one of the highest fastball velocities (north of 98 mph) of any MLB starter, but it’s his mid-90s hybrid “splinker” pitch and impeccable command that separates him from the pack and sends opposing hitters back to their dugouts. The No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB draft was called up by Pittsburgh in May and dominated in such fashion that he became the first rookie pitcher to start the MLB All-Star Game since 1995. The 22-year-old ace has quickly brought hope back to PNC Park, and even if the Pirates aren’t quite ready to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2015, they should be back there in short order with Skenes leading the way."
Skenes was the only MLB player to be featured on the list while also receiving a shoutout under the "LSU Tigers Talent" portion of the piece. He was named the National Pitcher of the Year and helped the school win the College World Series in 2023 before being selected with the No. 1 pick in the MLB Draft by the Pirates.
Since his major league debut on May 11, Skenes has been one of the more dominant players in baseball. Through 21 starts on the year, he has posted a 2.07 ERA and 158 strikeouts over 126 innings.
He is currently in a tight race for National League Rookie of the Year honors with San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill, though his 1.29 ERA and 37 punch outs over his past five outings may have him in the lead with just over a week left in the regular season.
Skenes has broken the Pirates' franchise record for most strikeouts by a rookie while also recording the fifth-most strikeouts and second-lowest ERA of any pitcher through the first 21 appearances of their career, according to MLB.com's Sarah Langs.
