PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates star pitcher Paul Skenes will open up the season for his team this week, as they try and realize their full potential.
Skenes will serve as the opening day starter for the Pirates, as they face the Miami Marlins on the road on March 27, with first pitch set for 4:10 p.m.
Andrew Simon of MLB.com ranked the best MLB opening day starters and placed Skenes at No. 2, just behind Detroit Tigers left-handed pitcher Tarik Skubal, who won the American League Cy Young Award and the pitching triple crown, leading the MLB in wins, ERA and strikeouts.
“If anyone is going to knock Skubal from that “best pitcher in baseball” perch this season, Skenes looks like the most likely candidate,” Simon wrote. “In fact, a number of our voters already have him in the No. 1 spot right now. For as dominant as Skenes’ rookie season was — he posted a 1.96 ERA, 2.44 FIP and 5.3 K-to-BB ratio — it still felt like the 22-year-old was just scratching the surface. He’s certainly not resting on his laurels, continuing to add to his high-powered repertoire this spring.”
Skenes starred at LSU in 2023, after transferring from Air Force. He had a 13-2 record in 19 starts, 1.69 ERA in 122.2 innings pitched, gave up just 23 earned runs and seven earned runs, while making 209 strikeouts to just 20 walks, leading the program to a national title that season.
He would enter the 2023 MLB Draft, where the Pirates took him with the No. 1 overall pick. He also signed with the franchise on a $9.2 million signing bonus, the highest ever given to a player at the time.
Skenes dominated in the minor leagues and soon made it up to the majors on May 11 of the 2024 season.
He started 23 games, had a 1.96 ERA in 133 innings, allowed just 29 earned runs, 94 hits, six home runs and 32 walks, while making 170 strikeouts and holding opposing hitting to a .198 batting average. He also had a 11.50 K/9 and a WHIP of 0.95.
He was the first member of the Pirates to start for the National League in the All-Star Game since Jerry Reuss did it in 1975, 49 years ago. He was also just the fifth rookie to start an All-Star game, with Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers doing so in 1995, en route to winning NL Rookie of the Year.
Skenes won NL Rookie of the Year, made the All-MLB First Team and finished third in the NL CY Young Award voting.
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