Analyst: Pirates' Paul Skenes 'The Next Great One'
Even as the most touted pitching prospect since Stephen Strasburg, Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes found a way to blow the lofty expectations placed upon him out of the water in his rookie season.
As a result, he's a finalist for the National League Rookie of the Year and NL Cy Young Award. Skenes is just the fifth rookie in MLB history to be in the top three for both awards, joining Jose Fernandez, Dwight Gooden, Fernando Valenzuela and Mark Fidrych. Valenzuela was the only pitcher to win both awards.
With his stellar first season, former MLB pitcher and analyst for the MLB Network Ron Darling touted Skenes as the next great pitcher in baseball.
"To come up with that much fanfare, it's not easy," Darling said on MLB Network. "You have to be the savior of an organization. Stephen Strasburg, it reminds me of that start he had against the Pittsburgh Pirates when he struck out 14 over seven innings, and he said to yourself, 'This is the next great one.' Well, [Paul Skenes] is the next great one...I've never seen a guy throw as hard consistently as I've watched Skenes throw."
Darling pitched 13 seasons in the big leagues, making one All-Star team and winning a World Series with the New York Mets in 1986. He played nine seasons with the Mets (1983-1991) and also pitched for the Montreal Expos (1991) and Athletics (1991-1995). Darling is also a commentator for TBS and SNY.
Skenes went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA over 23 starts and amassed 170 strikeouts over 133 innings pitched, setting a new Pirates rookie record. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft was 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.
The Pirates sensation was also the first rookie to start in an All-Star game since Hideo Nomo in 1995.
Darling also compared Skenes to Gooden and Roger Clemens, who were two of the most electric pitchers to ever step foot on a mound. Clemens was a seven-time Cy Young Award winner and an 11-time All-Star among the bevy of accolades he racked up in his 24-year career.
'Doc' Gooden won the NL Cy Young in 1985 and was a four-time All-Star. Darling was Gooden's teammate from 1984 to 1991.
"[He] reminds me a little of Clemens early in his career," Darling said. "He just knows what it's like to be on a big league mound. He wants to be the best pitcher in our sport and he's got a great attitude. That attitude is going to take him a lot of places. "
The winner of the NL Rookie of the Year will be announced on Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network. The NL Cy Young Award winner will be announced on Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network.
