Paul Skenes, a rookie starting pitcher, has drastically revolutionized the Pittsburgh Pirates’ short- and long-term outlooks. He has helped propel them to playoff contention this season, and he appears to have the potential to be one of baseball’s top starting pitchers and a franchise cornerstone for years to come.
The one lingering question for this season has been if the Pirates will contemplate shutting him down or limiting his innings because this is his first complete season of professional baseball. Pirates manager Derek Shelton addressed that fear on Tuesday during his weekly appearance on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, saying the organization has no intentions to shut down Skenes if he is healthy and that they want him to throw all season. Skenes threw 128 minutes in the 2023 season, splitting time between LSU (NCAA) and a few minor league starts after being selected first overall in the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft. He has already pitched 93.1 innings this season, split between Triple-A and Pittsburgh. Given how cautious teams are with young pitchers’ arms, and how crucial Skenes is to the Pirates’ long-term future, it is plausible to believe they might want to limit
him. They’ve already pulled him after he pitched a no-hitter in two of his first 11 big league outings, including his most recent in Milwaukee. There is precedent for teams shutting down young pitchers like this, as the Washington Nationals did in Stephen Strasburg’s first season when the team was still in contention for a playoff spot.
The Pirates might reduce his pitch counts in games or perhaps have him miss a rare start. That would let them to limit his innings while keeping him in the rotation all season. They could also try a six-man pitching rotation in the second half, which seems like a viable option given their depth.
The Pirates start Tuesday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals barely a half game off of a National League playoff place, with Skenes on the mound. With Skenes, Jared Jones (when he returns), Mitch Keller, and Luis Ortiz, the Pirates have one of baseball’s greatest starting rotations, going 34-27 since Skenes’ debut in early May. With the acquisition of another bat or two, they may be a strong force in the National League playoffs.
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