Pittsburgh Pirates Rookie Paul Skenes Is The Real Deal

Paul Skenes’ compelling arrival into the major leagues has been so arresting, it already has created a candidate for entry into the dictionary.

Whether or not his “splinker” gets the full Webster’s validation remains to be seen, but the hybrid pitch is why the Pittsburgh Pirates’ new ace is more than just your famous flamethrower of the month.

Skenes has made a name for himself with 100-mph fastballs that pour from his arm from start to finish of each outing. But his ability to control his secondary pitches is why the LSU and Air Force Academy product is the real deal, destined for greatness and already worthy of comparisons to Hall-of-Fame caliber arms.

The splinker is what Skenes uses to play off the fastball. Part splitter, part sinker, the pitch looks like a 100-mph fastball out of his hand, only to turn into a pitch that is not only slower but moves across the zone before taking a downward tilt.

“Unfair” comes to mind. “Filthy” has been mentioned.

And by “slower,” the pitch tracks somewhere in the 95-mph range. That change of pace still is faster than the average fastball from starters this season at just over 93 mph.

Skenes still has a changeup, slider and curveball to throw into the mix.

He celebrated his 22nd birthday last week in a dominant outing and 10-2 win over the Detroit Tigers to improve to 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA, 30 strikeouts, 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings and .195 opponents batting average.

In his second start May 17 on the road against the Chicago Cubs, he didn’t give up a hit over six innings. 

And yet even he was not satisfied with an outing two weeks ago against the San Francisco Giants where he gave up one run on a mere six singles. He needed 93 pitches to get through six innings and had three strikeouts after totaling 18 in his first two outings.

“I wish it were a little bit more,” Skenes told reporters afterward. “Had a couple long innings, but there’s going to be those games. I thought I made do and put the team in the best position to win.”

Skenes obviously is holding himself to the highest of standards. His talent level, to go along with his mental makeup, is why he has been compared to the Washington Nationals’ Stephen Strasburg, among other elite arms.

But there is a cautionary tale on the periphery. 

Strasburg did pitch in 13 seasons, but made just eight starts over those final three seasons because of nerve issues after dominating in 2019 when he went 18-6 with a 3.32 ERA in 209 innings.

Power arms can be prone to a shorter shelf life. An evolving plan for longevity will be the key for Skenes, whose historic start puts him in almost peerless company already.

Longevity is the critical point. 

And the Pirates know the routine.  Tyler Glasnow emerged with so much promise then struggled with injuries and inconsistencies before eventually turning into the ace he is now with the Los Angeles Dodgers, eight years after his debut in Pittsburgh and three seasons out from Tommy John surgery in 2021.

Injuries are inevitable. 

But once young power arms like Clayton Kershaw and Chris Sale from the left side and Justin Verlander from the right side have managed to forge long and successful Hall of Fame-worthy careers, even as they have bumped into physical issues in their later years.

With only a handful of 100-mph fastballs at his disposal for his start against the Giants on a day when he was without his best stuff, Skenes leaned into the splinker for ground balls, including a pair of double-play grounders. But a split-finger pitch has its own dreaded history.

Perhaps as Skenes gets more established, he develops a fastball/changeup/slider repertoire. Whatever the game plan is moving forward, the future does look bright for the Southern California native, who has credited two years at the Air Force Academy for teaching him how to ignore the chaos and focus on the task at hand.

“There are going to be so many growing moments for him,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said after Skenes mowed down the Tigers last week. “His last start out, he doesn’t give up any hits (facing the Cubs) and (then against the Giants), he has to navigate through traffic. He has to navigate through veteran hitters. It’s definitely going to make him better.”