Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes has taken the baseball world by storm, and the young flamethrower is quickly becoming the must-see player in Major League Baseball.
It has been just over two months since Skenes first stepped on the big league diamond, and he has already made a giant imprint on the game.
When Skenes has his best stuff, he is virtually unhittable.
Batters rave about the control he has on breaking pitches that appear a foot outside before painting the corner, leaving them walking back to the dugout in helpless frustration.
Record-wise, Skenes is an unblemished 6-0 with an impressive 1.90 ERA, and his 89 strikeouts against only 13 walks in 66.1 innings proves that he is in control of his powerful arm.
The baseball world is quickly taking notice of the phenom.
Scout Damon Oppenheimer described Skenes to the YES Network as “pretty nice for the game of baseball.”
That may be the understatement of the year.
Skenes’ dominance is such that he started for the National League in the All-Star Game after logging only 11 total starts in the majors.
The number one selection in the 2023 draft by the Pirates is still only 22, but he is one of the rare players who immediately lived up to his enormous billing.
Oppenheimer is correct in that Skenes represents the future of America’s pastime.
As one of the game’s brightest young stars, his career will be closely followed by fans and new fans who he attracts due to his exploits.
If he remains healthy, the next generation has an incredible reason to get on board.
