The Pittsburgh Pirates have promoted top prospect right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes to Double-A Altoona Curve after his short stint in Single-A with the Bradenton Marauders.
Skenes was the top overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft out of LSU. Skenes was the primary starting pitcher on the National Championship Team that defeated the Florida Gators in the College World Series.
Pittsburgh Pirates Promote Pitcher Paul Skenes To Double-A
Paul Skenes skips High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers for the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He is 21 years old and is projected to reach the big leagues in 2024. Skenes is 6’6″ and weighs 235 lbs. In three games in the Minor Leagues with two different teams, Skenes had light work, pitching only four innings and giving up one hit. He struck out five batters and had a WHIP of 0.25.
This fan base should be excited that he is the ace of the future. Skenes will make his Double-A debut on Saturday against the Akron Rubber Ducks, which is the Double-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. He will likely finish the season in Double-A.
Derek Shelton, the manager of the Pirates, spoke to the media about Paul Skenes’ promotion.
“I think as we’ve gone through the year, we knew there was going to be a progression to where he was going to go, and we’re just taking another step in the progression,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton. “Having just watched the starts on video, he’s done a really nice job and been very impressive, so we’ll continue to progress him as our baseball ops group feels is appropriate.”
Pittsburgh Pirates Have a Future Ace With Paul Skenes
When the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted him No. 1 overall in July in the 2023 MLB Draft, they knew what kind of special pitcher they were getting. Skenes is the best pitching prospect since Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals in 2009.
Paul Skenes has three excellent pitches with his fastball, slider, and changeup. Skenes pitched in 19 games this past season with the LSU Tigers. His record was 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA. In 122.2 innings pitched, he gave up 72 hits and 28 runs. Paul Skenes only walked 20 batters and struck out 209 batters.
Pittsburgh hopes this is the kind of pitcher he can become in the Big Leagues when he gets up there. It will be interesting to see where he starts the 2024 season. Will it be in Double-A, or will it be with the Indianapolis Indians in Triple-A? The future isn’t so far for this organization, which has struggled over the past several years and has a 56-69 record on the season.
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