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Unreal Snapshot of Paul Skenes' Autograph Crowd Is Claustrophobia-Inducing

Everyone wants Skenes's autograph.

Josh Wilson

Skenes finished last season wth a 1.96 ERA
Skenes finished last season wth a 1.96 ERA / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
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Paul Skenes won the MLB's Rookie of the Year award last season with ease. As the All-Star starting pitcher for the National League, his accomplishments were tough for rest of the field to match.

Skenes will be looking to make year number two as good as his debut in 2025, with the hype seeming to only grow, rather than fizzle out.

Ahead of his Saturday matinee spring training start against the Baltimore Orioles, Skenes was flooded with autograph requests from fans. Take a look at how many people were competing for his John Hancock:

It's no surprise that people want to get Skenes to put Sharpie down on their memorabilia. A 1-of-1 debut patch card just sold for seven figures to a shop that plans to put it on display for fans. It's been some time since a pitcher has come in and dominated straightaway as much as Skenes has. Whether for sale or just part of a personal collection, he has one of the most coveted signatures in MLB right now.

Skenes pitched 3.1 innings striking out four, walking one, and giving up just a hit against the O's on Saturday. Obviously, he is the Pirates' opening day starter.

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Josh Wilson
JOSH WILSON

Josh Wilson is the news director of the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in 2024, he worked for FanSided in a variety of roles, most recently as senior managing editor of the brand’s flagship site. He has also served as a general manager of Sportscasting, the sports arm of a start-up sports media company, where he oversaw the site’s editorial and business strategy. Wilson has a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from SUNY Cortland and a master’s in accountancy from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois. He loves a good nonfiction book and enjoys learning and practicing Polish. Wilson lives in Chicago but was raised in upstate New York. He spent most of his life in the Northeast and briefly lived in Poland, where he ate an unhealthy amount of pastries for six months.

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