Report: Pirates Won't Shut Down Paul Skenes
With the Pittsburgh Pirates' playoff hopes all but out of reach, all eyes will turn toward their handling of rookie phenom Paul Skenes.
Skenes has enjoyed a stellar start to his career, going 7-2 with a 2.30 ERA and 121 strikeouts through 16 starts and 98 innings pitched. The 6-foot-6 right-handed starting pitcher's scorching start to his MLB career took the league by storm and earned him a chance to be the National League's starting pitcher in the All-Star game.
But with the Pirates (58-65) having a 0.4 percent of making the playoffs through a wild card spot according to Fangraphs, there's a pressing question to be asked about how long they plan to keep pitching Skenes for the rest of the season. The Athletic reported that while Pittsburgh might be more cautious with the length of his outings, there are currently no plans to shut the rookie right-hander down.
“The Pirates currently have no such plans, according to sources briefed on their thinking," The Athletic writes. "They have no set innings limit for Skenes. The only restriction they are considering, assuming Skenes stays healthy, is potentially shortening his outings. The Chicago White Sox are taking just that approach with left-hander Garrett Crochet, who is working as a starter for the first time in his professional career.”
Skenes would be in line to start on Wednesday against the Texas Rangers, but the team has yet to name a starter.
Skenes earned his first win in over a month on Friday against the Seattle Mariners, pitching six innings, allowing three hits, two runs and he had six strikeouts, though, he walked a career-high four batters. Statistically, Skenes hasn't slipped, but he's seen his velocity slightly dip over his last few starts.
Through his first 14 starts, Skenes' average fastball velocity never dipped below 98 miles per hour, according to Baseball Savant. That wasn't the case in his last two outings against the Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Against Seattle, Skenes' average fastball velocity was 97.9 mph. When he faced Los Angeles on Aug. 10, Skenes averaged a career-low 97.7 mph on his fastball and allowed four runs, his most to date.
The Pirates' best days are in 2025 and beyond. With Skenes and fellow rookie right-hander Jared Jones atop its rotation, Pittsburgh has one of the best young one-two punches in baseball. Skenes and Jones one day becoming the best in the league a couple of years from now isn't far-fetched by any means.
None of that matters if Skenes isn't healthy, though. And if Pittsburgh is going to go from a team that's perenially building for the future to one that's ready to contend in the National League for years to come, it needs to be uber-cautious with its prized possession for the rest of the season.
NATHANIEL MARRERO