Pirates Prospect Paul Skenes Impresses During Much-Hyped MLB Debut

Karl Rasmussen | May 11, 2024

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) during his MLB debut. / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Pirates got their first glimpse of the organization's future on Saturday when top prospect Paul Skenes took the mound for his highly anticipated MLB debut.

The flamethrowing right-hander was the No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB draft back in July, and less than one year later he was toeing the rubber in one of baseball's oldest rivalries.

Skenes impressed in his first MLB appearance while surrendering three earned runs across four innings and striking out seven. He regularly hit triple digits with his fastball and showcased the other quality pitches in his arsenal against the Chicago Cubs.

Although he won't be credited with a decision for his 84-pitch debut, his performance was enough to leave MLB fans impressed. The baseball world had high praise for Skenes, with the 21-year-old drawing plenty of comparisons to Stephen Strasburg.

Paul Skenes strikes out the first batter he faces! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/MUkwo60lKa

— MLB (@MLB) May 11, 2024

Paul Skenes’ splinker is nasty. It’s one thing to average 100 mph with a four-seamer. To pair that with a 95-mph hybrid with crazy vertical movement is borderline unfair. And Skenes uses it both as a strikeout pitch and to steal strikes early in the count.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 11, 2024

Fastest tracked pitches ever thrown by a Pirates starter:
Paul Skenes, 101.9 MPH
Gerrit Cole, 101.7 MPH
Paul Skenes, 101.2 MPH
Paul Skenes, 101.2 MPH
Paul Skenes, 101.1 MPH
Paul Skenes, 101.1 MPH
Paul Skenes, 101.0 MPH
Gerrit Cole, 101.0 MPH

— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) May 11, 2024

Well, that was fun.

Not in line for the win, but Paul Skenes was electric and the crowd was remarkable. Wish every game was like that at PNC

— Josh Carney (@ByJoshCarney) May 11, 2024

We just need Paul Skenes to never not be the one pitching and we’re in good shape

— Zac Celedonia (@ZeFlashNFL) May 11, 2024

Paul Skenes is nasty 🔥🔥

— Madyson (@Majorleaguemadd) May 11, 2024

In his MLB debut Paul Skenes fastball averaged 100.1 MPH and topped out at 101.9.

EEWW🤢

— Post Parm Volpe (@VolpeParm11) May 11, 2024