10/08/24 – Ethan Smith – @mvp_EtHaN
Paul Skenes debuted on May 11, and with his debut came a playoff like atmosphere at PNC Park, watching something Pirates fans had never truly seen before, a generational pitching talent donning the black and gold.
Yes, there’s been highly touted debuts in the past, such as Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon and even Mitch Keller, but what Skenes brought to the majors this year was special for a variety of reasons, from just how quickly he began dominating opposing hitters to smashing through Pirates rookie pitching records.
After the dust settled at Yankee Stadium after two perfect innings, Skenes ended his rookie campaign with 133.0 IP, posting a 1.96 ERA, 170 strikeouts and a 0.95 WHIP en route to becoming the unquestioned ace of the Pirates staff, and his accolades this season further just how great this year was for Skenes.
Skenes became the fifth rookie pitcher to start an All-Star Game in 2024, becoming the first to do so since Hideo Nomo in 1995. He showed out as well, setting down Steven Kwan, Gunnar Henderson and Aaron Judge, allowing only Juan Soto to reach, not bad right?
To add to the further history of the All-Star Game start, Skenes tied Mark Fidrych for the least amount of starts(11) heading into the midsummer classic as the starter, so the list goes on and on of the accomplishments we have seen from Skenes already.
The National League Rookie of the Year has not yet been announced, but Baseball America voted Skenes their Rookie of the Year, while fans across baseball have debated between Skenes and Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill for who should win the award.
What Merrill has done in San Diego has been phenomenal for the Padres, who of course are going at it with the Dodgers in the NLDS currently, but Skenes was outright historic, and the likelihood of seeing another rookie campaign from a starting pitcher like the one Skenes had is highly unlikely, not impossible, but highly unlikely.
Nevertheless, the Pirates now have a pitcher who ranked in the top-15 in the NL in strikeouts and wins, all at the age of 22, and now that his first full season is done and dusted, looking forward becomes the thought process, especially considering just how fragile pitchers can be in this day and age.
Skenes showed signs of fatigue at points of the year, seeing as it was his first full professional season, but his willingness, and well, ability to navigate the season and play at such a high level throughout his rookie year is what has Pirates fans, and baseball fans, so excited, because when Skenes pitches, you almost don’t want to leave the television because you don’t know what could happen next.
So, how does this strong rookie season influence Skenes’ play moving forward?
It’s hard to imagine that Skenes doesn’t continue to get better as he matures, which sounds insane to say with how he carries himself already, but seeing his innings count increase will almost be a given heading into next year, which also means we could see Skenes not only contend for a Cy Young award in 2025, but he could also eclipse 200 strikeouts, which was done by Mitch Keller in 2023 most recently.
Now, Skenes made it through this season healthy, and with pitchers dropping like flies more than ever recently due to injuries, it will be in the back of the minds of fans surely, but with optimism that he stays healthy, the ceiling for Skenes will only continue to rise.
Watching Skenes rookie season was magical and full of moments Pirates fans surely will never forget, but it’s just the beginning for Skenes and 2025 should be just as, if not more exciting than 2024, and boy does that sound fun already.
Steel City Pirates 
Not so much a comment as a question. I pitched for several years in Men’s Senior Baseball leagues and I never had any arm issues. Granted, I was only pitching once a week, and I wasn’t throwing 90+ mph. However, what I did was unusual – I could pitch anywhere from completely over the top to slightly below sidearm – with better than average control. I threw a two seam fastball with movement, a slider and a change-up and I could throw all three from the different arm slots. That means I was using using my arm muscles/tendons/ligaments differently throughout the game. Now to my question. Do you think that all the pitchers’ arm issues could be because they are being taught to tunnel their pitches from the same arm slot – using the same muscles/tendons/ligaments in pretty much the same manner over and over?
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