The Pittsburgh Pirates took right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft.
Some specialists said that even at that point, Skenes was ready for the big leagues.
A series of circumstances limited him to 6.2 innings in the minors last year, but Skenes had a marvelous spring and an even better stint in Triple-A to open 2024.
At long last, fans will get to watch one of the best pitching prospects to come up in recent memory.
The Pirates posted a video of Skenes with the caption “5.11.24.”
The league’s official Twitter account was less discrete, though, as they virtually yelled “PAUL SKENES IS COMING.”
PAUL SKENES IS COMING 👀 https://t.co/ai3YjacQyM
— MLB (@MLB) May 8, 2024
Evidently, the date that the Pirates wrote on the tweet is expected to be the day of Skenes’ major league debut: Saturday.
He would be facing the Chicago Cubs at home, PNC Park, so you can be sure the stadium will be close to full capacity that day.
The Pirates are 17-21, in fourth place of the NL Central.
However, it’s still early enough in the year for Skenes to have a real impact on the win column.
The Pirates were probably waiting a few weeks to make sure to get an extra year of service time on Skenes, but at the same time, they also wanted to fully stretch him out enough to cover five or six innings per outing.
Skills-wise, there is no question Skenes is ready: in 27.1 innings in Triple-A this year, he boasts an incredible 0.99 ERA and 45 strikeouts against just eight walks.
Saturday’s game will be a must-see event not only for Pirates supporters, but also for baseball fans in general.
