Pirates Three Biggest Winners Before All-Star Break
The Pittsburgh Pirates (46-48) will wrap up a roller coaster front half of 2024 this weekend in Chicago. They sit 2.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot in the National League and have enjoyed a few standout performances through their first 94 games.
Paul Skenes
This one is rather obvious. Skenes has been lights out for the Pirates since they selected him first overall last July. The 22-year-old pitcher wrapped up a historic front half, throwing seven hitless innings against the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers this week.
Skenes is a perfect 6-0 on the season and has fanned 89 batters in just 66.1 innings. He has become one of the most "must-see" players in baseball just two months into his major league career and will be the starting pitcher for the National League All-Star team next week.
NL All-Star manager Torey Lovullo calls in to tell Paul Skenes he will be the NL starter for the All-Star Game@Paul_Skenes @Pirates @MLB pic.twitter.com/EeAmuuM17l
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) July 12, 2024
Bryan Reynolds
Reynolds has easily been the Pirates' best positional player in 2024. He leads the team in hits (104), RBIs (56), batting average (.274) and home runs (17).
The franchise outfielder has played in every game for the Pirates this season and made headlines in June when he went on an MLB season-high 25-game hitting streak. It was the longest streak from a Pirate since Kenny Lofton hit safely in 26 straight back in 2003. Reynolds will join Skenes in Texas next week as part of his second MLB All-Star selection.
Mitch Keller
Keller may be one of, if not the most, underappreciated starting pitchers in the MLB this season. While many fans have been enchanted by the arrival of Skenes and fellow flame-thrower Jared Jones, Keller has quietly put together a fantastic season.
He already has ten wins on the season (10-5), just three shy of his career-high from 2023 (13), and has struck out 102 batters in 111.1 innings. Keller has been a steady force for a second consecutive season and rounds out what could be a dominant rotation for the Pirates for the foreseeable future.
NICK BELSKY