Pirates Star Begins Making All-MLB Teams
It was more than just a good season by rookie standards for Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes.
Skenes dazzled from the moment he took the mound in the big leagues and went beyond the lofty expectations that were placed upon him when he was taken with the No. 1 overall pick into the 2023 MLB Draft by Pittsburgh. With his performance, Skenes was named to Bleacher Report's All-MLB team.
"If he had broken camp with a spot on the Pittsburgh Pirates roster on Opening Day, Paul Skenes might have joined Fernando Valenzuela as the only rookie pitchers in MLB history to win a Cy Young," Bleacher Report wrote.
Tarik Skubal, Zack Wheeler, Chris Sale and Seth Lugo were the other four starting pitchers to make the team. Skenes also made the MLB Pipeline's All-Rookie team.
Skenes started 23 games and went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. He also struck out 170 batters over 133 innings, setting a Pirates record for a rookie starting pitcher. The 6-foot-6 was the first rookie to start the All-Star game since Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers did it in 1995.
Skenes was the first pitcher in MLB history to have an ERA below 2.20 and strike out over 150 batters in their first 21 appearances. He was also the first pitcher since 1913 to have an ERA below 2.00 through their first 22 appearances.
The hard-throwing right-hander had six outings where he pitched at least five innings and didn't allow a run. In total, he only allowed more than three runs in a start once in his rookie year. He also had 16 outings in which he struck out at least seven batters.
Skenes only trailed left-handed starting pitchers Garrett Crochet and Blake Snell in strikeout percentage.
A historic rookie season should give the Pirates plenty of optimism for the future. Now, it's a matter of getting him to pitch in meaningful games in September in his second season.
