TAMPA, Fla. – When records and accolades fall like pins in a bowling alley, can there truly be an evolution of ability and eventual improvement?
Then again, and when your manager refers to you as “elite” several times in a post-game session with reporters, this is the reality dominating Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes’ universe. While Skenes will not turn 23 years-old until May 29, he continually draws praise, acclaim, and near-worship status that befits a World Series champion many times over.
While the native of Fullerton, Calif. earned National League rookie-of-the-year honors and started the All-Star game for the NL both in 2024, Skenes remains humble and nearly unassuming. As part of the learning process, he speaks of greater pitch execution and the demand to be consistent. Still, numbers now associated with his resume are as astounding as they are astonishing.
“(Skenes) is going to become an elite pitcher,” forecasted Derek Shelton, the Pirates manager. “I think that the one thing for him is just efficiency. At times, he gets out of the zone and needs to make sure he gets back in to where he needs to be. He is one of these guys who has elite stuff and if it’s in the zone, it still will not get hit. We have to make sure he stays in the zone.”
Skenes’ portfolio remains as complete as any starting pitcher in the game. With a fast ball consistently crackling from the mid-90s to 100 miles-per-hour and a breaking pitch which sweeps down and away from a right-hand hitter and in to lefties, Skenes remains on the verge of perfecting physical ability with the need to pinpoint location.
In earning his first win of the season April 2 with a 4-2 decision over the Tampa Bay Rays, Skenes continued to reach 97 and 98 miles per hour on his fastball well into the sixth inning. In addition to physical ability, his delivery will likely keep hitters off balance. Coming from the third base side, Skenes features a near three-quarter delivery and slight slinging motion.
At the same time, the 6-6, 260-pounder is putting up numbers of impressive portion. Through his first 25 starts major league starts, Skenes has a WHIP of 0.92 and this is the lowest in major league history for any pitcher with a minimum of 25 starts. The next closest is Dick Hughes of the St. Louis Cardinals, with a WHIP of 0.97 (1966-1967).
“Always need to work on execution,” Skenes said after beating the Rays for his first win of the season. “I think the execution is going fine and just trying to learn the hitters and continue to learn how to be pitch in the big leagues and keep the ball down.”
In pursuit of “elite status,” Skenes is developing an essential component and that is economy of pitches. During his initial victory of the season over the Rays, he left after seven innings and 102 pitches, 72 for strikes. In any of those seven innings, he did not surpass more than 18 pitches. The most was that 18-pitch, sixth inning.
Tropicana Field update … on April 3, the St. Petersburg city council voted by a margin of 7-1 to allocate $22,542,484 and repair damages to the facility. With that vote, the city assured the Rays repairs would be completed in time for the team to move back into Tropicana Field for the 2026 baseball season. Part of the repair involves replacing stronger material that initially covered the roof. “The tinsel fabric is the same material,” Raul Quintana, the architect overseeing the project, told the Tampa NBC affiliate. “It’s designed to today’s code, so the material is stronger and thicker. So, it’s designed for the wind loads that we have today and far exceeds the wind loads we had in 1995.” Materials for the project would be made in Germany, shipped to China for assembly, and then sent to the United States. Potential cost increases, due to President Donald Trump’s new tariff initiatives, are factored into the cost approved by the city.
