Pirates' Paul Skenes Looking To Win In 'Different Way'
It didn't take long for Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes to feel comfortable upon arriving in the big leagues.
Despite being just a rookie, Skenes touted the Pirates' organization, including chairman Bob Nutting, who has constantly been under scrutiny for the team's payroll and lack of willingness to spend money in free agency. Skenes painted a different picture of the Pirates' chairman, though, praising who he is as a person and his devotion to putting together a winning team.
The 2024 National League Cy Young award winner also proclaimed that Pittsburgh will become a winning ballclub, even if it means not spending the kind of money other teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers or New York Yankees do in free agency.
"They listen," Skenes said in a Q&A with MLB.com's Jim Lachimia. "I was the No. 1 pick, who cares? Whatever. I was still a rookie last year, but they were listening. And they’re listening to guys like Mitch Keller, Bryan Reynolds and Ke’Bryan Hayes too. They’re receptive. They listen to what we think we need to do to win. Mr. Nutting is very approachable. He’s willing to listen because he wants to win, which is good because that’s not the picture that a lot of people paint of him. The only difference is we’re going to win in a little bit different way than the Dodgers and the Yankees. But we’re going to win."
Skenes burst onto the scene in 2024 and quickly established himself as one of the game's best pitchers just one season into his career. The Pirates' ace had a historic rookie year, going 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA and he set a franchise record for strikeouts by a rookie with 170 over his 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.
Ultimately, the next step for the Pirates will be having Skenes pitching in meaningful ballgames in September and potentially in October. If they can do that in 2025, it'd be proof they're on the right path and possibly ready to contend with the best of the best in baseball.
