Pirates' Paul Skenes Draws Shohei Ohtani Comparison
Anytime you can be compared to Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, you're in good company. That's what is happening to the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie.
Paul Skenes found himself compared to Ohtani in ESPN's Jeff Passan's latest article picking the winners for different MLB awards. Passan tabbed Skenes as baseball's "most-hyped phenom" and noted how he'd be in the running to win the National League's Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year had he not spent the first month of the season in the minor leagues.
"Nobody since Ohtani has arrived in the major leagues with more hype than Paul Skenes upon his May 11 debut," Passan writes. "All he has done since is pitch better than almost anyone in the major leagues. The only pitcher with a case is Chris Sale, and Skenes stacks up evenly against him."
Skenes has lived up to the billing and then some across the first 21 starts of his MLB career. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick is 10-3 with a 2.07 ERA in 126 innings pitched and he has set a Pirates rookie record with 158 strikeouts. Skenes' dominance since being called up was enough to earn him the start in the All-Star game, making him the first rookie to accomplish the feat since the Dodgers' Hideo Nomo did it in 1995.
The 6-foot-6 flamethrowing right-hander has pitched at least six innings and allowed two runs or fewer in 15 of his starts. Among those 15 starts, Skenes has struck out at least seven batters 13 times.
Two of Skenes' three losses have come against the St. Louis Cardinals, though, neither has been a result of the Pirates ace being off of his game. Across the two losses, Skenes has pitched 14.1 innings, allowed eight hits, three earned runs and struck out 15 batters.
Skenes entered the MLB as the most highly touted rookie since Stephen Strasburg in 2010. Not only has he lived up to the lofty expectations placed upon him, but Skenes has performed beyond anyone's expectations in his rookie season.
"Skenes could have been intimidated by the pressure, overwhelmed by the media, humbled by the hitters," Passan wrote. "Nope, nope, nope. When he's on the mound, Skenes is the one who's in charge. He's everything he's supposed to be -- and more."
